How to Use An eReader To Access Reference Resources
EReaders. They can be a godsend to a student, or just another technological toy. It all depends on how they are used. True, many people use them to access the latest novels, magazines, newspapers, but they can also be used to access dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, and countless other books. Most of these sources can be found in either a free format online, or for a much reduced cost. While most students don’t bother investing in such books, for obvious reasons as they are both expensive and hard to store, they can find and store them on the eReader with no hassle.
While most students argue that they don’t need these “old-fashioned” resources when the internet offers them all the information they could possibly need, traditional reference materials offer some unique advantages. Encyclopedias, though pedantic, are respected as sources for academic papers in a way that Wikipedia is not. Being able to site a hard-copy version of Encyclopedia Britannica or the Encyclopedia of the World Biography automatically raises the tenor of your paper, not to mention the Oxford English Dictionary. And your eReader, unlike your phone and laptop, is not dependent on the internet, and can be used on planes, metros, and other wireless-free zones.
The ability to use the eReader for reference purposes requires only basic research skills. Most e-Reader’s come equipped with excellent indices, tables of content, and for those who’ve never used these tools, there is the “find word” function. Every use of a specific keyword can be found in a matter of seconds, thus sparing the student the necessity of cracking the tables of content. All that is required is a use of good spelling.
eReaders are a cheap way for students to easily access numerous well-respected resources and they would be wise to employ this tool.