I love college viewbooks. The pictures of happy students and
sylvan settings make me smile even though I know they are part of a marketing
machine.
So here's my dilemma. When I visit colleges (which I do a lot)
I bring home literature. It's not a very "green" practice, as I know
that trees were sacrificed and some of the ink used in the printing process is
environmentally toxic. Then I have to file it, which takes time and space in my
office.
Most students are perfectly happy to troll a school website
for info and pictures. I doubt any of them will feel sad if I stop collecting
viewbooks, college literary magazines and aerial view posters of schools. Yet,
I think of the times I pulled something magic out of my cabinet and a student
was convinced to add a great fit school she never heard of onto her college
list.
Got an opinion? I haven't stuffed my recycling bin yet, so
share your thoughts!
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ReplyDeleteThey will continue to be printed regardless. I can't help but think that it is a similar debate about ebooks and the real deal. There is just something tangible about holding something in your hands that makes an impact.
DeleteKeeping them can be a chore and take up a lot of space. What about creating a system where the viewbook can be viewed as .pdf and projected up on your office wall "big screen style" for students to look at and scroll through like a slide show/Power Point Presentation? If they want a hard copy, they can always request one to be mailed directly to their home. Just a thought.
Congrats on the blog Jodi!!!!!!!!
The "law" of supply and demand suggest that if enough people didn't want printed literature because it was not environmentally friendly, then colleges would actually stop producing the materials i a printed format. When I was on my 18 college tour of Pennsylvania two colleges told me they no longer produce viewbooks because it goes against their sustainability goals.
ReplyDeleteI love your suggestion about turning viewbooks into slide shows. I need to think through the logistics of that and whether it would be even more of a time suck than filing, but thanks for thinking "out of the box"!