Yearbook makes switch to digital publication

Ottawa University’s an­nual student yearbook The Ottawan is one of many of the college yearbooks undergoing changes this year.

While the majority of col­lege yearbooks in Kansas have gone out of print and into an exclusively digital realm, The Ottawan re­mained one of the state’s last yearbooks made avail­able in print until this se­mester.

Shannon Dyer, chair of communication studies, cited several reasons for the switch from a print to digital yearbook, includ­ing the versatility digital media presents, the quick turn-around time in pub­lishing digitally as op­posed to print, and the fact that many print yearbooks never find a home.

“We’re moving toward digital media integration because digital media fits who we are as a nation,” Dyer said, adding that the student body population is more digitally savvy than previous generations.

Dyer notes that the deci­sion to make a transition from a print to a solely digital yearbook was not an easy one.

“We tried to do both, but it isn’t feasible,” Dyer said.“This was a tough call, and I’m sure all stu­dents — even those who never read the yearbook — will feel some sort of a loss.”

Dyer added, however, that she is excited about the new direction The Ot­tawan is taking and feels it will better train students to be proficient in working with digital tools.

Along with the change in medium, The Ottawan will no longer feature mug shots of the entire student body and not every stu­dent will be represented in it unless they attend cam­pus events. Much of the material used in the new yearbook will be compiled from The Campus, the up­coming KTJO The Rage, online material, and con­tent that will be created ex­clusively for The Ottawan.

Students generally feel positive about the year­book’s future.

Linda Poe, senior, has been heavily involved in recent publications of the yearbook but had no idea of the transition until classes started this fall.

“It isn’t like the depart­ment is getting rid of ar­chiving the yearly campus activities altogether,” Poe said.”They are just chang­ing the format in which it is going to be available.”

Clarence Anderson, ju­nior, looks forward to the yearbooks’ possibilities.

“It’s good that there’s al­ways going to be change,” Anderson said. “Someday something will come to re­place the digital stuff.”

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