Juggling your backpack, often stuffed with textbooks and binders, is no easy task. Add on the separate lunch bag, trusty Camelbak, and for many, an extra bag of a change of clothes for sports, and students often end up performing quite the balancing act as they walk down the halls from class to class. E-books and various online textbooks are said to provide somewhat of an answer to the heavy backpack epidemic, though they come with mixed opinions.

With a pending Apple Distinguished School designation, an extensive Mac and PC lab, and the requirement for each student to have an iPad, Mercy can definitely be considered technologically advanced. It comes as no surprise then, that the idea of purchasing e-books instead of traditional textbooks is more encouraged.

While often times cheaper, e-books do come with some restrictions. Many require you to have internet access, and often subscriptions only last for a set amount of time. In addition, some students find it harder to read a book on an electronic device than they do a traditional text.

“For me, e-books are difficult to read and often times they don’t load in an efficient amount of time so it takes longer to get your homework done,” said senior Kelsey Ellis.

Mercy’s focus on going green and following practices that help the environment is widely known around the school. Students are asked to reduce the amount of printing that they do, and the majority of teachers have students primarily submit assignments to Moodle. E-books just provide one more way for students for students to channel their “green” side and conserve paper.

“For English books, I love e-books and it makes it so much easier, especially since I have a Nook. Often times though, with textbooks for math and science, it’s easier to have the actual text in front of you,” said senior Christine Peterson.

For some, e-books are a viable option to take some weight out of their backpack and hold everything on one device. Others find them convenient for certain classes. Regardless, e-books will continue to be an increasingly popular option, especially in a technology-focused school like Mercy.