E-Reading

Americans are spreading their book consumption across several formats, and the use of audiobooks is on the rise.

A growing share of Americans are reading e-books on tablets and smartphones rather than dedicated e-readers, but print books remain much more popular than books in digital formats

On cellphones, longer news stories get about twice the engaged time from readers as shorter pieces do. They also get roughly the same number of visitors.

The number of book readers has dipped a bit from the previous year and the number of e-book readers has remained flat.

As librarians around the country gather in Las Vegas for the American Library Association’s annual conference, here are findings that stand out from our research.

The typical U.S. adult read five books in the past 12 months.

The proportion of Americans who read e-books is growing, but few have completely replaced print books for electronic versions.

Kathryn Zickuhr will explore not only how libraries are dealing with the changing technological environment, but also the larger context of Americans’ reading and library habits, and what they expect from libraries in the future.

Up from 25% last year, more than half of those in households earning $75,000 or more now have tablets. Up from 19% last year, 38% of those in upper-income households now have e-readers.

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) will host Lee Rainie for “The Myth and the Reality of the Evolving Patron: The RUSA President’s Program” on Saturday, June 29 at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.