Online Reading Vs. Print

E-books are very popular right now given with the release of the Apple iPad.Some libraries have tentatively begun loaning content and/or readers to the community.

At Pickering, staff are testing out Sony e-readers, Kindles and even the Apple iPad (acquired by our ihelp specialist via eBay).  Staff have given them the "beach and bed" test, but not the third "b" - bath.  Most of them have tested quite well in terms of useability, comfort, power, etc. which was quite surprising to most of us boomer booklovers.

As with any new technology that will be widely adopted, we must approach it with a consciously critical perspective and there have been a number of studies which have looked at the difference between online reading vs print.  According to Anne Mangen, an associate prof of literacy studies at Norway's University of Stavanger, reading online may not be as rewarding – or effective – as the printed word. The reasons: The process involves so much physical manipulation of the computer that it interferes with our ability to focus on and appreciate what we're reading; online text moves up and down the screen and lacks physical dimension, robbing us of a feeling of completeness; and multimedia features, such as links to videos and animations, leave little room for imagination, limiting our ability to form our own mental pictures to illustrate what we're reading.

Richard Long of the International Reading Association, a nonprofit organization of literacy professionals in Newark, Del., says more research needs to be done to study the effects of online reading on different users. For instance, he says, many older people may absorb more or learn faster by flipping through pages, because their brains have been trained to read hard copy, whereas younger readers may learn faster digitally, because they're accustomed to working online. "Previous experience has a tremendous impact on rate and thoroughness of learning," he says. "The actual learning phenomenon is the same at the end of the day."