By Rebecca Tolpin ‘14, Staff Writer

As Newark Academy students move through Upper School and begin to take on more AP and IB classes, the physical amount of textbooks needed to be carried increases as well.  While proper posture is crushed underneath pounds of books, there exists a simpler solution—online textbooks.

Though the idea of switching to online textbooks has some drawbacks, it has stronger, more influential advantages.

Firstly, there is the issue of weight.  An article in Medical News Today points out that 25 percent of young students carry backpacks that are twice the recommended weight.  The average Newark Academy textbook even seems to be larger than “normal.” I found that my 9^th grade Introductory Biology textbook weighs almost 2.5 pounds!  In an age where a tiny memory card can hold almost as much information as the Library of Congress, this enormous biology textbook seems like an outdated relic from the past.  Why remain so connected to the past when the future is lighter?

Then there is the issue of cost.  While modern textbooks are getting heavier, they are also becoming more expensive.  The study entitled “Rip-off 101” done by college faculty and students from around the country points out that putting textbooks online has a potential of reducing costs by an average of 32.3 percent.  This reduction comes from savings on paper, printing, energy, and shipping costs.  Further reduction is possible as more publishers would be able to compete in the online textbook business.  Even more promising is a nascent movement to create free online textbooks.  And why not?  Ancient Greek history and algebra have not changed in the last few centuries, so there is no reason to keep publishers as middlemen.

Online textbooks will also help in conserving energy and natural resources.   One can easily guess that a heavy backpack multiplied by tens of millions of students, in the United States alone, would equal several hundred thousand tons of paper.  By eliminating the continued production of printed textbooks, there is sure to be an impact on the United States’ consumption of paper.

On the other hand, one could argue that hardcover books are nicer because the text is clearer and turning pages by hand is more convenient than waiting for a website to load.  However, technology is quickly catching up as new digital book readers are becoming easier to read and simpler to use.  Also, the cost of computers is coming down rapidly with the proliferation of cheaper laptops and tablets.  This is even less of an issue in Newark Academy where a majority of students already own laptops.

The reduced (and perhaps even nonexistent) weight and cost of online textbooks, as well as the growing acceptance of eBooks, make a compelling case for switching to online textbooks.  The amount of energy and resources that will be saved provides another good argument in favor of making the transition.  I am sure that all Newark Academy students’ backs would greatly support the switch to the lighter side of education.