Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Week Sixteen Prompt: The Future of Reading

My adult reading habits share a few similarities with the reading habits I had as a child. I will read almost anything at any time. I read for pleasure or professional development, and I look forward to graduating so I can increase my time spent doing the former. I panic if I don't have something to read in case I have to spend some time in a waiting room or can't sleep.

Technology has changed my reading habits some. I read a lot online, and that is the source of most of my news as well as satiate my endless appetite for scary stories and folklore. I tend to read print books almost exclusively, though I now listen to audiobooks and e-audiobooks.

I think reading and publishing will largely continue on the road they're currently heading: more access and more accessibility for both creators and consumers. Self-publishing will continue to develop as more platforms are created and blended in with library discovery layers and services. E-reading will continue and may see gains, but I do not foresee print dying in the next twenty years. Recent PEW studies show that while e-reading increases, most Americans, particularly millennials, prefer to read in print.   

4 comments:

  1. I know as schools continue to transition to digital textbooks many of my students would rather have a book in their hands. I was surprised by that, but even kids today see the benefit to a hardback book. When my students read for pleasure it is a "real" book and not an e-book.

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  2. Darcy, I know I prefer printed books. I just feel like I connect more with the printed book than with an e-reader. I find the PEW study interesting that most Americans still prefer print. Maybe technology doesn't always supersede the importance of the printed word.

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  3. Hi Darcy, I related to a lot of the points you made here. I also spend a lot of time reading and doing various other information seeking online, but prefer to read novels and longer forms of text in print version. The emphasis you made on more access and more accessibility seems very true in many forms of media in the future including music, movies, and reading!

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  4. Wonderful final response! Full points!

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