EXit LIBRIS: Evolving Reading Habits in a High-Tech Era

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Ex libris - From Latin ex libris (from the books), from ex- (from) + liber (book)

Meaning “From the Library of;” a label applied to the inside front cover of books identifying the owner of a book; bookplate.

When a fellow book-reading friend gave me a lovely package of bookplates for my birthday, I recalled some not-so-recent book purchases and thought, “Gosh, how long has it been since I read a real book cover to cover?” I discovered I’m not alone with these sentiments after a recent humorous conversation with blogger Mark Schaefer, where he shared his experience of being trapped on a plane with only a hardback novel to read. Mark’s story and my new Ex Libris labels brought to light the evolution of my reading style and habits.

I have a shelf filled with marketing, sales, PR, and design books in my B2B marketing office which I scan regularly, usually for reference on a specific topic. Typically, I open the index, pick my topic, scan a couple paragraphs, get an idea, and then put it back on the shelf. Although I enjoy these books for business use, they don’t seem personally precious enough for the flourished lettering of my beautiful bookplates and my cherished home library of now aging epic novels, poetry and design tomes.

Here’s a look at how my reading habits have vastly changed over the last few years:

*I used to…*	*Now…*
…read the paper every morning, spreading it out on my desk, scanning the headlines of each section with my coffee cup in one hand, saving the op-ed and comics for last.	…my morning paper is Tweetdeck. I read through my search columns for quick nuggets of knowledge, usually about B2B marketing. I try to share the most interesting stories with my followers.
…have at least three magazine subscriptions alternating between home decoration, fashion, cooking, news or sports. I displayed the most recent on my coffee table.	… I search for new recipes online and subscribe via email to the updates on the home and garden website, and RSS feeds of the news and sports. I save links to my favorites in a bookmark app.
…to roam the library and the local bookstores every weekend fingering the spines for intriguing titles, usually buying more books than I could afford.	…I click through the Barnes & Noble or Amazon book sites for the latest new books, putting most of them on my wish list, with only occasional purchases.
…apply a pretty label on the inside cover of my favorite books and inscribe my name in my best handwriting, only sharing with my best and most trusted reading friends.	…click a bookmark button saving articles or blogs in a web-link storage application, sharing dozens of times each week. with thousands of, mostly unfamiliar, Twitter friends
…crack open a new novel with great anticipation, savoring the new ink smell, enjoy the warm tactile feel of the pages, cradling the spine in the crook of my arm curled up on the couch with my reading glasses.	…after reading all the reviews and blogs, I buy an instant download of a new book on my iPad, tapping the pad, I adjust the font size for my presbyopic vision, cradling the cool metal rectangle in the crook of my arm.

After reading online reviews, I select only the most fitting titles for my enjoyment and my home library. For business reading, the Internet provides assessments from other readers before I make the purchase. I’m reading more because I am exposed to so much more from my desktop PC, my smartphone and my ereader.

Hard back, paperback, iPad or RSS feeds, online tweets, whatever the medium I will I always enjoy reading. Technological progress has opened more opportunities to read more about many more topics and sharing with many more friends online.

I wonder what the Latin translation of “From the Hard Drive Of…” is?

Have you noticed an evolution of your reading habits in this high-tech era?

Please share with a comment.

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Martine Hunter is the creative director of inbound marketing with the Atlanta advertising agency, MLT Creative, which specializes in B2B marketing. She holds the Inbound Marketing professional certification and serves the Atlanta chapter of the Business Marketing Association as a member of the board of directors.

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Tags: B2B Marketing, Martine Hunter, Mark Schaefer

Comments

You beat me to it : )

Oh well, the world is better for it. You're a much more creative writer any way.

Perfect post! Thanks Martine!

Posted @ Monday, December 20, 2010 1:56 PM by Mark William Schaefer

Love this post. I, too, have become a digital reader. Of all the digital avenues you describe above, I am most surprised at my own conversion to eBooks. As a person who loves to read, I never thought eBooks would replace my precious printed books. Prior to eBooks, reading had always been as much a tactile experience for me as a cerebral one. I simply like the look, the feel and even the smell of printed books. The most interesting and unexpected thing about eBooks is that they actually changed the way I read:
1. Increased Time Spent Reading -- I read much more now that I have fully embraced eBooks. The reason for this is threefold: 1) I always have my book with me, as my iPod Touch is always with me in my purse; 2) I always have more than one book loaded on my iPod Touch; and 3) I can read anywhere – day or night, regardless of whether there’s a light source.
2. Improved Reading Selection Process -- In the past, I thought libraries made it easy to find the right book, but they don’t hold a candle to Amazon.com and its Kindle Whispersync technology.
3. More Active With My Reading -- I can easily highlight text as I am reading. It’s just as easy to write notes as you read. No pens, paper or Post-It notes required. All highlights and notes are stored on my iPod Touch for fast, easy reference.

Posted @ Wednesday, December 22, 2010 8:03 AM by Trish Fischer

I never thought I would ever give up reading print. I enjoy turning pages, adding sticky notes on passages I'll want to reference, and reading in bed. I decided that I would not buy an e-reader until they developed one with solar power. Books are green (renewable forestation) but batteries don't do well in landfills.

Until I discovered that I can download the Kindle software to my Netbook. I bought my first marketing e-book and pumped up the font size so I wouldn't have to squint, even with reading glasses. I plug it into AC and don't feel guilty about running on battery juice.

One thing I haven't figured out yet. Serif fonts are best for print reading and sans serif fonts are best for electronic gizmos. So, how come they are still creating e-books in serif font? What's the big deal to convert the original file to a sans serif font?

Posted @ Thursday, December 23, 2010 12:02 PM by Elaine Fogel

It must be a generational thing.

What you describe sounds very efficient but not for me. I like to relax with books not machines .They take me to a peceful place which I can't imagine losing.

<http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com>

Posted @ Friday, December 24, 2010 9:10 AM by Lew Jaffe

Great post. Technology has evolved our reading habits for the better, I think. But I also wonder if technology in this area has reached its peak. As Trish says, we can now read day and night and with no special lights. It'll be interesting to see the future of reading.

Posted @ Friday, January 07, 2011 9:19 AM by Wyatt Jefferies

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