Young readers prefer digital books • Hypable

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Young readers prefer digital books

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by Jen Lamoureux
@jenlam26

Posted on 12:45 pm,
January 10, 2012

A study looking at the usage of e-books and print books was done by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center over the Summer and Fall of 2011. While the study showed no difference in a child’s comprehension it did show that kids prefer digital books to print books.

From Digital Book World:

If we can encourage kids to engage in books through an iPad, that’s a win already, said Carly Shuler, senior consultant for industry studies at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop is a New York based non-profit organization dedicated to understanding how children learn through digital media.

Enhanced e-books those that have more bells and whistles than e-books, like interactive features and games were also compared in the study with their regular e-book counterparts. Children recalled fewer of the details of the content of enhanced e-books versus the same e-book.

Kids were more focused on tapping things and that took away from their comprehension as well as the interaction between the parent and the child, said Shuler.

USA Today reported that e-books sales have doubled since last year making up 20% of the market in 2011. The week after the holidays, 42 of the top 50 books on the USA Today Bestsellers list were purchased primarily in digital form. What does this mean for the printed book?

As more generations become used to e-books and digital print, will traditional books be put aside? I hope not. As a teacher I frequently use my iPad in the class with my students. They love digital books but they also love going to the library and picking books out. There is something wonderful about walking into a store and seeing the beautiful covers displayed and having someone knowledgeable talk to you about books. Let’s face it, no matter what formula they use to recommend you books an e-reader can not compare to talking to person who has read the book and understands someone’s interests.

Do you think traditional publishing and books are in danger of becoming extinct? How do you like to read books?

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Fhaps

Who said an e-reader prevents you from talking to someone who has read the book? Besides, physical libraries are starting to sell e-books too.
http://twitter.com/Andrew_ww Andrew W

I have been listening to a lot of books lately but there is nothing like holding a physical book and reading.
I disagree with having enhanced e-books. The point of kids reading is learning how to read or taking in all the details. Something like Pottermore makes sense when you see enhanced content after or before you read a chapter.
DreamNox58

I prefer holding an actual book in my hands. There is something about a brand new book, actually turning a page to see what happens next, its exciting and I don’t see what is so exciting about reading a book on a screen. I do fear for real books disappearing because in this day and age, kids are wanting to do things over the internet and iPads, E readers, iPods, you can go on and on with this list. I understand it though because they grew up in this world where everything is digital, hello….look at the cars that will be driving you instead of you driving it. Ridiculous.

Older generations or kids from a few years ago hopefully want to read an actual, turn the page book but who really knows what the future will hold?”
OpenYourMind

Without a doubt “real books” are going extinct. Libraries across the nation are already transitioning to ebooks. In the next 25 years I would expect about 75% or more of our books will be electronic.

This is a trend that is being fought tooth-and-nail by the publishers, just as the music industry fought digital music downloads. Ebooks should be much much cheaper than print books (they were at the beginning) but instead the big publishers are negotiating one-sided contracts with ebook providers to allow them to gouge customers. Sometimes ebooks are priced even more than print books. Ridiculous.

As for “turning the page”, you can still do this digitally on e-readers such as the Nook or the Kindle. Not all of the content is displayed at one time. To anyone who has never read an ebook on an e-reader before, I suggest that you give it a try before you know the entire concept of e-reading. I used to be in your boat and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed e-reading.

Lgray1983

After speaking with a few head librarians for a paper last semester for my lib sci class, I know this is true. Libraries are freeing space that would be used for shelving books by purchasing e-books and other e-resources, instead. I can see the need for this (it allows more space for study spaces, computer labs, etc), yet it tugs at my heart strings a little. Also, I agree with you that e-books should be cheaper! There’s something not quite right about that (in my opinion).
Anyone interested should look into the battle currently being waged by some librarians against Overdrive. The feel that Overdrive’s practices infringe on many of values of librarianship (mainly, privacy rights). It’s all very interesting and complicated.

http://about.me/dshana Shana Debusschere

I don’t have an e-reader, but I don’t mind it. As long as physical books don’t go extinct. Maybe in the future, I’ll read some e-books, but I can’t imagine not reading anything anymore on paper..
http://twitter.com/RachelgurlFL Rachel Gay

though ebooks are cheaper i rather have just regular old books
Lgray1983

There are pros and cons for both e-books and paper books. As much as I like e-books, I would be crushed if the day ever came when paper books would disappear. There is nothing quite like holding a tome in your hand, feeling the weight of the book, the smell of the paper and the ink…it’s just so much more tactile, and thus romantic in that sense. For my favorite books, nothing could replace paper.
Alohomora

I agree with you – walking into PC World and seeing e-reader screens isn’t the same as going into Waterstones. I’d go to Waterstones even if I didn’t want to buy anything. And libraries? What happens then?

There are so many advantages to e-readers, for example they take up less space, are cheaper for the user overall and are interactive. But there’s something in a book that you just can’t replace.
girluvstacos

I don’t like reading e-books because I will start to become unfocused and I can’t keep reading. I would rather read a physical copy of a book. I love the smell of having a new book’s pages turned. It’s just something about physical copies that make the rest of the world fade away. I don’t mind that people use e-readers as long as the physical books are still there for those who like them.
http://www.facebook.com/louieschuth Louie Schuth

I am 19 years and I want my books on my shelf! Technology be damned!
Corrine Clapp

I am a “young reader”, and i have a kindle, which I love and use often. But I still prefer a physical copy.
http://twitter.com/SarahKHansen skhansen

I also prefer physical books, but I am excited for ebooks. I think digital publishing is great for non-traditional books, short stories, novelettes and novellas. There isn’t much of a market for these types of stories in print. Who can justify spending $15 on a novella, unless it’s out of this world good? However, I don’t mind spending $2 – $5 on an ebook version of a novella. I still prefer physical books for full length novels and anthologies.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000183764146 Emily Van Horn

I would much prefer physical printed books. I have a Sony Reader and it’s great but I’m much more comfortable with a real book. I just can’t focus as well in the digital version. I buy ebooks because their cheaper and easier to carry around for the most part. If there was a way to fix that for printed books, I’d never touch my ebook again.
stargazer

I own a Kindle, and I love it! But that doesn’t mean I won’t snag a book that catches my eye and buy it without regard to the cost. Right now I’m using my Kindle to read all the free classics that are out there without having to pay for printing costs, but if I were to become invested in a new series (I’ll be honest–it’s been hard for me to find a new love after Harry Potter), then I definitely want to read it in book format, not ebook.