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. 12