How has reading and books changed for me since I was a child?
I think reading has changed a few times for me since I was a child then a teen and now an adult. When I was really little I enjoyed storytimes and seeing puppet plays. The interaction I got while a book was being read to me made the book so much more fun. I enjoyed reading books with others and being able to talk about them with my parents. Then as I grew older reading was split in half. It was required for school through textbooks and then it was something I did for fun. When it came to textbooks and required reading for school I despised it. I have never been a fan of being told what to read and how long I have to read it. I think it is because I am a slow reader. If I was told in school that I had to read a book I almost automatically disliked it and did not want to finish it. I have also never been big into literary classics or Shakespeare so odds were I was not going to care for the required reading. On the other hand I loved mysteries, fantasies, and science fiction. I saw them as an escape from the world and often chose to read a book instead of watching a show or movie growing up. I was that weird kid who convinced her parents that a small box of books was the way to go for Christmas (my sister did not like that this became a tradition all through our school years). Then, in 11th grade I had a teacher who changed my perspective on required reading and changed my attitude slightly. He was new at our school and did not get to pick our summer reading. I did not like the book at all and he automatically won me over when he looked at the class and told us he'd give the book a 5 out of 10. We still did a few assignments with the book but he made me know that I could say my opinion of a required book without being told I was wrong. He even let us come up with books for the next year's required reading and put them to a vote. I still don't like all my required reading but I have an appreciation for reading outside my comfort zone. Now that I am an adult I almost only read for pleasure. I have started doing more reading about how to do upkeep on a home and some other essential things that come with adulthood but I enjoy it now. I respect that not all my reading is exactly fun, but I can make myself engaged with a monotonous topic. I also don't have loads of free time to read. This is sad but I have responsibilities and when I do have time to read it is so much more enjoyable.
What do I see in the future for reading, books, or publishing -20 years from now? Will we read more or less, will it become more interactive? What will happen to traditional publishing?
This is a big question with so much unpredictability.
I think there are always going to be two types of people. Those who think libraries will become extinct in the next few decades and those who continue to go to libraries to find a new favorite author. I think it all depends on who is choosing to read. I know with the younger generations many prefer the convenience of an eBook or eAudiobook. They do not have to visit the library to get the book and they can still enjoy all the perks of having a library card. I am starting to see the value of online materials, and I used to only read print materials. I think those who dive into reading in the next few decades will happily embrace online formats more than ever. I also think younger school age children will end up preferring eBooks because many schools have done away with a majority of their print materials. I know where I went to school had started phasing out print textbooks in 2012 and by the next year my sister had almost no textbooks. The first college I went to only used eTextbooks (I'm not sure if that is a word). This makes me sad because there is a different atmosphere that comes with reading a book in print. I can see print books in libraries forever, but I think there will be a shift towards online content in budgets if it has not already happened.
There will always be readers who enjoy the mainstream authors. I think there will always be people who want to read print because it makes more sense with formatting (graphic novels). I do however think more and more books are being published as only eBooks and see this being more normal in 20 years. I also hope that reading will become more prominent. I think the pandemic helped many people get back into the habit. I am curious to see if the increase in library use will continue. With the closure of local video stores, less movie theaters, and rural areas not having access to quality internet, I could see an increase of reading in rural areas due to lack of internet. I can also see people valuing their local libraries due to the rise in costs for living and entertainment. Time will tell if this is true. I hope more people read in the future.
When it comes to publishing I think we will see a greater percentage of independently published books. It is becoming more common for new authors to publish their own works on Amazon and promote them through online avenues and local schools, libraries, and shops. I could see this as a new hip and trendy way of publishing works and will require libraries to be more flexible with how they purchase materials. I think publishing will change immensely over 20 years but I can honestly say I hope it is for the better and the benefit of the authors and readers who consume the works. I have no clue what publishing will look like but my assumptions are that it will have many new ways. I still think all the authors who write thrillers, mysteries, and romance that use the same formula for all their books or authors who are considered book factories will be popular but I think there will be a shift in publishing. I just hope it is not similar to how shows and movies keep doing remakes. I have faith in authors to write original works and hope that publishers see the value in them.
Interactive reading will become more important for authors to consider. There are so many options for books and people who read for pleasure enjoy the interactive nature of a book. I think this will become one of the most important factors as time goes on. I already think it is but maybe that is because I think you have to be interactive to actually read a book and absorb the contents of it.
Hello, Abby.
ReplyDeleteI will say this: college (in my undergraduate years) almost ruined my love for reading. Two different literature-related classes with so much to read and so much depressing material in the same year (or maybe semester) turned it all into a chore, to say the least. I can definitely relate.
Personally, I hope we get a Renaissance of print-materials. Electronic-materials certainly have their merit, but when you have a print-book, it's yours. Contracts and issues that come with using a computer have nothing to do with a physical book. Plus, I enjoy the weight of the book in my hands.
Keep up the good work. Have a great Summer.
James
Hi James,
DeleteI completely understand depressing material in a short amount of time.
I hope that you get the Renaissance of print-materials. I think it would be awesome to see more people reading physical books. As nice as the online materials are patrons do not see how much it costs to keep books continuously and still have room in the budget to add new content.
Thank you for the comment and enjoy the summer.
Abby
Hi Abby,
ReplyDeleteWe touched on many of the same points in our posts - dislike for some required high school reading texts, the idea that more writers will self publish in the future, etc... I think your point about self-published writers promoting their work through local schools and bookstores is a good one. I love all bookstores, but I have a special place in my heart for small, independent ones (thank you, Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail :). I think there is a growing trend among people to support local, no matter if it's a farmer's market or a bookstore, so I think those kinds of places are great resources for local writers.
I love that movie! One of my favorite Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks pairings. I definitely see more people trying to shop local. People like the connection of knowing those they are buying from. Thanks for the comment and good luck with the rest of your courses!
DeleteAbby
I enjoyed your description of how your reading habits have changed as you developed as a child. There are just so many different stages of reading inside those adolescent years alone that it's almost difficult to remember all the changes in reading habits we went through. As a children's librarian, sometimes it feels like my young regulars change over night. It always makes me happy that they're moving up to the next step on their reading journeys, but also sad that they're too old for some of the programs they used to love. For instance, we just started doing storytimes again after a year hiatus, and we can tell that some of our regulars who used to love interacting with the librarian are no longer interested. You can just tell they're bored and ready to move onto the next thing. Their habits will just keep changing right up until their adults, and then they'll change some more (just like you adding house repair books to your reading for pleasure pile). I just hope that these kids maintain a love of books throughout their entire lives to continue the joy of reading they started in their children's departments.
ReplyDeleteI think it is sad but also fun watching kids change what they read and seeing them go to different programs. I know that as a college student I found my love of children chapter books again and especially picture books. I still do my ritual of checking out kids books during finals week to help me wind down when I get stressed. I think it will be interesting to see how the children today shape how libraries run in the next few decades. Enjoy your summer and thank you for the comment!
DeleteAbby
Hello Abby!
ReplyDeleteI can relate to so many things that you said! For instance, I am also a slow reader. I want to absorb every word that I am reading. I also had a difficult time with assigned reading in school. However, I did save the assigned reading for when I was an undergrad, because I knew that I would enjoy reading the material sometime at a later date when I was finished with my schooling. I used to quickly skim and speed read the material for the assignments, but this was more like a requirement than for enjoyment. As for your thoughts on publishing in the future, I agree with your observation that we may see an increase in independently published books. As a matter of fact, I am already seeing dedicated pages as well as spotlighted sections on independently published books in various publications, such as Publisher’s Weekly. Overall, I am excited to see what the future holds for readers.
Hi Abby,
ReplyDeleteI hope eBooks don't completely replace physical books because it feels to actually own an item and hold it in your hands. The problem when it comes to digital items is that they can be removed from an online store for good, including from a person's digital library. This is especially an issue with video games as when those servers go down, so is the chance to download that game and the major companies don't seem eager to want to preserve them. I don't want to see that happen to books. Great post!
Hi Abby,
ReplyDeleteI'm also convinced the future of publishing is in independently published books. I hope libraries are working this future into their collection plans and I have seen moves in this direction. Because there is much less overhead to publish a digital file than a physical book it makes sense that a lot of future titles will be e-books but I'm hopeful that printed matter will continue. E-publishing may have less overhead for the publisher but for many consumers purchasing, replacing, and connecting an e-reader is still cost prohibitive.
You bring up so many great points and I love how you talked about your reading development over the years. Great post and great engagement. Full points! Thank you for a great semester.
ReplyDelete