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current research shows children of all ages, from toddlers and preschool to college-
age students, comprehend more when they are engaged by reading printed material
than reading from e-books or a screen (Barshay, 2019; Delgado et al., 2018; Munzer
et al., 2019; Pew Research Center, 2018). Reading books is associated with reading
comprehension more than any other materials (McGeown et al., 2016), and reading
digital texts is different than reading from a book. Reading from a digital book
requires more cognition, limiting reading comprehension for lower-skilled readers
Dr. Eileen Richardson (Fesel et al., 2017).
is Associate Professor of The rule of thumb on how many books to plan for a well-established classroom
Education at Cameron library is to consider at least 10 books per child, with no less than 100 books (Fractor
University at the
Rogers State University et al., 1993) or an average of 300 books per classroom (International Literacy
Campus. She teaches Association, 2018). A report by Scholastic (Wills, 2016) found 362 was the average
undergraduate teacher number of books per elementary classroom library, and 56% of teachers purchased
education reading courses their own books. Of course, purchasing quality literature at various reading levels
as well as graduate can be expensive, especially for a new teacher. A classroom with approximately
reading courses. She was 1,000 books, could total up to at least $5,000 (Miller & Sharp, 2019). With such
a high school reading
specialist and also taught an investment, one might consider digital over print. However, teachers should not
first grade for many give up on traditional print yet. Previous research suggests reading outcomes are
years. erichard@cameron. influenced by the medium used, and print supersedes digital in impact (Lenhard et
edu al., 2017; Mangen et al., 2013; Singer & Alexander, 2017).
The physical display of the books is also imperative in encouraging students
to peruse different types of reading materials. It is recommended that books face
forward, so that students may easily view the pictures and content. Books may
be grouped by themes, topics, and even genres—for example, separating realistic
fiction from fantasy. Books through print and visual modes are also important in
expanding student knowledge in understanding diversity and economic differences
(Quast & Bazemore-Bertrand, 2019). Classroom libraries provide the opportunity to
display diverse books for students to see themselves and the communities in which
they live and provide access to books that matter to them (Koss, 2015; Walker &
Walker, 2018). Access to diverse literature, too, is important for literacy achievement
and motivation (Henderson et al., 2020). Much planning should go into providing
a high-quality classroom library (Catapano et al., 2009), and the more time spent in
offering various books, the more likely students are to read.

Conclusion
Before the pandemic affected our time face-to-face with our student teachers,
we had many discussions about the importance of classroom libraries. The student
teachers who reported feeling perplexed as to whether classroom libraries are still an
important part of the classroom now have a better understanding of the importance
of a quality classroom library to encourage reading. If our goal as educators is for
all children to be successful, lifelong readers, then immediate and frequent access
to books, both in print and on screen, to encourage reading in the classroom should
be a priority. Any reading is good for children, no matter the medium used. What is
most clear is that libraries continue to matter, and they matter a lot. The focus of all
classroom teachers is the success of their students, and providing a foundation for
independent reading is part of that success.

64 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators