Yet for some, using the latest technology is not always the ideal way to read. Matt Fedel, an undergraduate student at Texas A&M, is skeptical of reading the digital way.
“I think people love the tangibility of turning the page instead of just scrolling through,” Fedel said.
Others, like SMU senior Kelly Pearson, miss the experience that buying books was before she bought her eReader.
“I miss the way they smell,” Pearson said. “Just walking into a bookstore and finding a book, I really enjoy that.”
These intangible benefits are what retailers such as Half-Priced Books are relying on to keep their business model afloat.
“People are always going to want the feel of a book, the smell of a book, the experience that comes with reading an actual book in front of you,” said Megan Kuntz, public relations specialist for Half-Priced Books.
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The digitization of printed books also has potential implications for libraries. At SMU, for instance, the university libraries began offering digital copies of books online more than five years ago, through a program called Net Library. This shift has freed up shelf space and allows students to access research materials from anywhere, 24/7.
Melanie Golder, a research librarian at SMU’s Fondren Library Center, believes that electronic texts are here to stay.
“In the library world, we’re trying to meet students where they are,” Golder said. “And today that’s on their computers.”
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