During what is referred to as the “technology age,” many people choose to read with the swipe of a finger rather than a turn of a page.
According to a report by the Pew Research Center published Jan. 16, the percentage of adults who read an e-book in the past year has risen to 28 percent, up from 23 percent at the end of 2012.
The transition of readership from pages to screens has even reached support in state government; Senator Bill Beagle, R-Miami, who is a former trustee of the Tipp City Public Library Board, has sponsored a resolution encouraging Congress to ensure public access to e-readers.
“What inspired me was (when) I was approached by the Ohio Library Council,” he said. “The folks with the libraries know they have a friend in me. (They) came to me asking if I would consider this resolution. ... With it, we are asking Congress to help these guys find a solution.”
He argued that, according to library employees, publishers are hesitant to sell libraries “high-demand” titles out of fear they will not make enough profit at libraries anymore because of competitors such as Amazon.
“Certain copies are available electronically only if you can afford it, and that’s the problem,” Beagle said. “Once you give a copy of an e-book to a library, they can loan it out forever.”
James Hill, assistant director of the Athens County Public Libraries, said Athens libraries have offered digital reading options for about four years and works closely with the Ohio Digital Library, an online book rental source, as many other state libraries do.
“In our particular system, (electronic media) has definitely increased,” he said.
According to the Pew Research Center’s report, approximately 50 percent of Americans have a handheld device that can read this type of content, such as a tablet or an e-reader, as of January.
That percentage has increased from 43 percent of adults who had one of those devices in September 2013.
Despite millennials, ages 18 through 31, receiving the “technology generation” reputation, most tablet owners tend to be between the ages of 30 and 64, according to the study.
“I have a tablet and I’ll read books off of that sometimes,” said Maddie Corbin, a sophomore studying Journalism and Strategic Communications. “But I prefer actual books because it’s easier to read (and) more tangible.”
The Pew Research Center’s study also acknowledged that print isn’t dead. Although tablet ownership has increased, electronic copies have not replaced paper copies of books.
In 2013, the Athens County Public Libraries lent out 36,480 digital items, including e-books, e-audio books and videos, but circulated just more than 480,000 hard copies of books the same year.
“We look at everything and try to buy the things that will be most user friendly to our patrons,” Hill said, adding that “it’s definitely not a threat” that many adults are taking advantage of e-readers.
According to the study, 87 percent of e-book readers also read a print book from January 2013 to January 2014.
Hill echoed that most people seem to prefer a combination of electronic books and the “old fashioned” copies, and added that based on a newsletter from the Ohio Public Library Information Network, a statewide organization, e-book circulation has plateaued.
“I think e-readers will continue to be popular,” Corbin predicted, “but I don’t think hardcover books are going to end.”
— Lucas Daprile contributed to this report
@KellyPFisher
kf398711@ohiou.edu
This article appeared in print with the headline "Athens libraries adjust to digital readers"
