But in recent years, the balance has shifted. Depending upon whose figures you use (and there\u2019s debate here), eBook sales in the US have dropped, while print is once again holding its own. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that adults of all ages and both genders were more likely to have read a print book in the previous year than a digital one.<\/p>\n
Q: Don\u2019t both digital and print have their pros and cons?<\/h4>\n
A:\u00a0<\/strong>Of course. Sometimes the choice reflects personal comfort and taste. Preference might be based on cost and convenience, or wanting a break from hours staring at a digital screen.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the issue of concentration and distraction. In a cross-national study I did of university students\u2019 preference and practices when it came to reading in print versus on a digital device, 92 percent said they concentrated best when reading print. They were also much more likely to multitask when reading onscreen.<\/p>\n Other pluses and minuses: They told me digital was lightweight, convenient for searching, and (they assumed) better for the environment. Print was much easier on the eyes and provided a tangible sense of where you were in a book. Digital generally cost less (a big issue for college students). Yet when I asked which format they would prefer if cost were the same, 87 percent said print for academic reading and 81 percent indicated print for pleasure reading.<\/p>\n A:<\/strong> The biggest push today is developing Open Educational Resources, which are curricular materials that are freely available for anyone to use. Rice University has produced a series of high-quality introductory college textbooks (through its OpenStax project), and the University of Minnesota is drawing upon faculty input around the country to review materials other faculty are creating (through its Open Textbook Network).<\/p>\n Happily, there are now a growing number of excellent textbooks available for the taking. The challenge is that these materials are all digital (with a few limited print options).<\/p>\n Very little research has been done comparing how students learn from digital materials as opposed to from print. We do know that students generally perceive they learn more from print. They also report taking longer to read print material, and being more likely to reread it. Practically, we need to work on strategies to help students avoid distractions when reading onscreen and apply the same concentration and analytic skills they were schooled in for reading print.<\/p>\n A:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes. Even my most eBook-loving friends haven\u2019t suggested reading James Joyce\u2019s Ulysses<\/em> on an eReader or smartphone. The biggest selling eBooks are fiction, especially romance, erotica, and science fiction. Non-fiction, art books, and cookbooks sell well in print.<\/p>\n When it comes to personal reading, people often vote with their pocketbooks. They also vote with their travel habits and personal lifestyles. Carrying ten vacation books in your suitcase is obviously more cumbersome than downloading them to a tablet. Young adults who frequently change residences remind me that books are heavy to move and expensive to ship. This group includes my former students who love print but don\u2019t feel they can encumber themselves with too much at this point in their lives.<\/p>\n What about reading for school? For serious literature (of the sort you contemplate, and potentially reread), general wisdom is that print may be best. However, for foreign language or organic chemistry texts that include adaptive learning tools (such as intermittent quizzes and guidance back to the appropriate passages in the text explaining what you missed), there can be clear benefits for digital.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also clear that people have personal preferences. I know philosophers who swear by digital reading for everything (including reading philosophical arguments on mobile phones). And I know people who insist on print. For poetry, you\u2019ll find those who love and those who hate digital.<\/p>\nQ: Speaking of academic reading: Textbooks are expensive, adding one more layer to college or school boards\u2019 costs. Is there any solution?<\/h4>\n
Q: Doesn\u2019t the sort of reading you\u2019re doing matter?<\/h4>\n
Q: Children in K-12 are the next generation of adult readers. What do they think about reading print books versus eBooks?<\/h4>\n