Why Banning Books is Not a Good Idea

Why Banning Books is Not a Good IdeaA few years ago, college papers used to ban books out of a misguided sense of protecting students from potentially harmful content. Now that we know that most students do not read books, but instead turn to their school-issued laptop for what they need, the theory behind the ban has changed. They want to protect the student's privacy by making sure that his or her private documents are not shared with others, as some professors are afraid that other students will steal the ideas and plagiarize their work.While some professors may still think that reading is part of the educational process, many experts agree that is no longer true in today's college papers. Students should be educated and informed about reading before entering college, and if they cannot learn about it on their own, then they should have access to school-provided materials. In this case, banning books could actually hurt the learning experience of students.Another reason that banni ng books would not work in today's college papers is that students, unlike some professors, do not seem to know where to look for knowledge. These days, students can access books all over the web, in the library, or even from websites offering downloadable e-books. The problem is that they usually get bad information and are often misinformed.When students go online, they might find what they need by searching for the word 'test,' or they might simply choose a book that catches their eye. This is no different than going to a grocery store and looking for a food item they are interested in. There are literally hundreds of millions of books available, and students can access them just about anywhere they go.Fortunately, these days, college papers understand that banning books is not the best way to educate students. To learn, students need to have access to resources. To make sure that their students are educated, college papers need to provide a variety of books for their students to choose from. This is true even when their students are reading textbooks, which have little choice but to be printed on paper.The problem is that students often find these resources hard to access. They spend hours looking for their favorite books, sometimes even driving miles to find the ones they want. This can create issues for the professor, who cannot send the course materials he or she needs to teach the class.College papers should allow students to access resources like Amazon or Nook to check out books they like. Instead of banning books, they should welcome new technologies and allow students to download and read whatever they like. This allows students to get what they want without being worried about what others may think of their choices.Creating an atmosphere of openness, support, and educational discovery for all students will help create a high quality education. High schools should be allowed to be as open and creative as their students are. So, instead of banning b ooks, colleges should try to make sure that their students have access to the resources they need to succeed.