Lesson: The Role of Libraries

This year, a comment was made at the All-Japan Library Conference that libraries were responsible for book publishers losing revenue. Reading this in the Japan Times made me think about libraries and their role in the digital age. Japan is well-known for having stagnant salaries, so I would assume that libraries are a godsend for people who cannot afford to buy books but still love reading. I wonder if people would buy more books if they could not get them at the library or if they would just read fewer books. Please think about the role of libraries in society, if libraries significantly affect the bottom line of publishers and anything else related to libraries that may come to mind. We may also talk about any library experiences that you may have had. Remember, reading, reading, and reading more is essential to improve your English comprehension and vocabulary repertoire. Reading more in your native language wouldn’t hurt either.


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Example Article

Each conversation topic is based on a theme. In order to help students acquire a basic understanding of that topic, four media articles are provided for them to read. I will never test you on the articles, but I strongly suggest you book lessons far enough in advance to give yourself enough time to properly prepare. The better prepared you are, the more benefit you will receive from our conversations.

Below is an example article for this conversation topic.