Do you ever think about how much you read in an average day? Text is everywhere, with much of what we read coming to us via smartphone or computer screens. Throughout the day we’re inundated with text messages, posts on Facebook and Twitter, and class announcements on BlackBoard.  Not to mention the books, magazines and newspapers surrounding us.

So when it is sometimes said that people are reading less with the advent of modern technology, I have to wonder, is that true? What about all of the text we read online? Is reading considered more educational, or more important, if it’s from a book?

All reading may not be created exactly equal. For instance, the reading you do for a college class, in most cases, improves your mind by teaching you a subject of which you have limited knowledge. This type of reading is usually done in a physical format, from a paper textbook. How would you feel about using an e-book exclusively for your textbook next semester? How would you adapt to a completely electronic learning environment?

A recent article published in the Washington Post spoke of how many digital natives- that is, people raised in today’s world of immersive electronic media- actually prefer reading long-form text in physical format rather than on a screen. Reasons given for this included increased reading comprehension, the ability to take notes and remember details when reading from paper, and being better able to focus on reading and absorbing the material, rather than being distracted by the online world.

On the other hand, you really can’t beat the portability of e-books. As librarians, we encourage all types of reading, regardless of format. Our library provides students with access to several e-book collections.

To check out our e-books, visit the Madison College Libraries home page and click “Access to ebooks and other catalogs” to get started. From our home page, you can also do a keyword search, and limit by Type “E-book” to start browsing.

Our e-books include reference material such as medical dictionaries, career development titles including resume and cover letter books, technology reference materials including books on popular software such as Photoshop, and even some fiction. The best part about using our e-books is that for most of them you don’t need a special device like a Kindle or another e-reader to access them; they can be read in any web browser.

If you prefer a hands-on approach, you can always come into one of our seven locations and check out any of our print materials, including popular fiction. Recent additions include Stephen King’s “Mr. Mercedes,” “The Martian” by Andy Weir and “Night Film”  by Marisha Pessl. Some titles, such as John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars,” can be accessed in multiple formats including hard copy, e-book and audio book on CD. Remember that we provide interlibrary loan services, so you can have any of our materials (except for reserves) sent to your campus.

No matter how you do it, whether for education or just for fun, being willing to read something new, stretch your muscles and give yourself a challenge is definitely worth the time and effort taken, and our libraries can help you with that.