Can Paper Compete in a Digital World? Re "Long Live Paper," by Justin B. Hollander (Op-Ed, Oct. 10): The big questions notwithstanding, a different view of paper textbooks was illustrated when I received a paperback birthday present from my son-in-law. After thanking him, I joked, "How does it work?" He looked puzzled, so I continued to press him. Where is the button to look up words? How do I search for references to concepts defined earlier? Where are the links to videos, slide shows or other supplementary material? If I highlight a passage, how do I go back and find it? If I forget my glasses, how do I increase the type size? How do I read it at night without disturbing others? How will I be able to carry this with other books when I'm traveling or commuting? Today, textbooks start off electronic at the publishing house. Isn't it better for me and my students to choose to print it or not? The writer is chairman of the information technology department at Pace University. I almost shouted "hurray!" when reading Justin B. Hollander's article. I was thrilled to read words that voiced my very thoughts. I vividly remember when my children were in elementary school in the 1970s when the thinking was to tear down the walls in elementary-school classrooms to make open classrooms, eliminate traditional desks and have every child working at his own pace. We parents were told that this was the wave of the future. Structure was an obsolete word. I was opposed to this, as many parents were, and the walls never came down. As a society we are too eager to embrace what is new and trendy and to throw out what is perceived as old and obsolete. Isn't there room for both? I hope so. The middle school or high school student struggling under a bulging backpack lives on. Crowded hallways are more crowded, and classroom aisles are obstacle courses. Textbooks are extremely expensive, and expected to last 10 years. History and science texts are often out of date before they arrive in the school building. Outright mistakes cannot be corrected. I certainly do not think that students should be connected to the Internet every minute of their school day, but dedicated e-readers that could hold frequently updated electronic texts, teacher-created materials, news articles and samples of top-quality student work would represent a giant leap forward. The writer is a retired social studies teacher. The former diplomat and current librarian in me believe that advocates of print and electronic formats can peacefully coexist. They just need to paper over their differences.