Over the past couple of years people have noticed smaller amounts of students going into the library. Students at Hopkinton High School have come up with the thought that it is due to technology improving in the schools. Especially with the tables outside of our library to study at, not many people go in anymore.

Instead of checking out a book at the library to learn more about a topic people can just use the internet because it is at your fingertips and much easier to navigate.

BBC News Online talked about how technology has changed the libraries because there 74 percent of education uses technology in school.  77 percent use the internet for teaching, this means nobody is going to books to help them. Hopkinton has a 1:1 laptop program where students get laptops to help with learning and make it easier to do their studies at home. According to Benjamin Herold from Education Week  magazine, most of U.S. schools have at least one computer for every five students.

“Nowadays, we can look up stuff on the internet if you have a question, but when I was in school we had to use encyclopedias,” librarian Charleen Belcher said, “About 15 people a week check out books for school use, and about 10 people check them out for personal use.”

Librarian teacher Belcher talked about how books could provide more than the internet because, when you search something on the internet for research, it will give you what you search for but, when looking in a book, it will give you other information.

“I only go into the library to print things there or if I have a study because it’s a nice environment to focus in,” freshman Lucy Hebert said. “I have never checked a book out because I have my computer, and I can just Google answers instead of looking for them in a book. I also don’t check out books to read because with all my homework, I don’t have free time to read.”

Because of all the advances in technology over the years and having books and textbooks online, kids are only using their school libraries for socializing and sometimes studying.

Senior Isla Stewart said, “Not a lot of people read books anymore because they make books into movies so people watch those or read the books on  their Kindles. And for schoolwork kids just use their laptops. I have never checked out a book in the library.”

Junior Connor Delaney said that he “only uses the library for a quiet place to study, but I do not use the books or the libraries computers. I use my own personal computer from the 1:1 laptop program. Also, there are a lot of textbooks online, so people do not have to carry around their own textbooks.

“I use my computer to get all my information, so I think that in a few years people won’t really need the library because of all the technology advances. I think people go in there because it’s another place that they can sit and socialize with their friends, and I don’t see many people checking out books, and I see a lot of people in there on there computers not reading books,” freshman Caroline Estella said.

Libraries are becoming less and less useful because of all the technology evolving overtime. People will not need to check out books and encyclopedias for research because all the information is on the internet and easier to find.