1. Sudesh Kumar Sood
College Librarian(SG)
Postgraduate Govt. College,Una,H.P
Mobile: 9418490033 Email: sood_sk14@yahoo.co.in
Sudhir Kumar Gupta
Assistant Librarian (Sel. Grade)
Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry
Mobile No 94184-59260, Email: gupta_sud@rediffmail.com
Reading habit and changing role of libraries in electronic
environment:
A case study of BCA students of Govt. PG
College, Una, H.P.

2. ABSTRACT
 Reading habit is an essential and important aspect for creating
the literate society in this world. It shapes the personality of an
individual and it helps them to develop the proper thinking
methods and creating new ideas. At present, due to the influence
of the Mass Media, people could not show much interest in
reading the books, magazines and journals etc, Therefore, there
is the urgent need to develop the reading habit among the
individuals in the society. The purposes of this study were to
determine if computer technology had an impact on BCA college
students‟ reading habits and if students‟ online reading habits
and their demographic variables, such as
gender, age, employment status, and online hours were
related.124 valid survey questionnaires were collected from BCA
college students in Postgraduate Govt. College, Una. Himachal
Pradesh. The results indicated that BCA college students‟
reading habits changed from paper-based to internet-based
reading. As to the topics of interest, the ranking sequence that
students indicated is entertainment, news and media, computer
and internet, recreation and sports, references, arts and
humanities, and health. The results also indicated that
gender, age, education, employment status, online hours, and
college students‟ reading habits are related. Suggestions and

3. INTRODUCTION
 According to Albert Einstein, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology
exceeded our humanity.” Humans nowadays have learned to become dependent on the
technology available today.
 According to izyanraihanah of www.oppapers.com, Reading is an aspect associated with
literacy. However, the reading process is not simple in its nature. It does not merely involve
recognizing a single character and pronouncing it correctly or to recognize and pronounce a
few characters that are arranged in a particular manner, but more importantly it is the ability
to understand the meaning of these arrangements.
 According to Bullock (1975), reading is more than a reconstruction of the authors'
 Hagood (2003, p.387) emphasized, “because new media and online literacy are part and
parcel of our day-to-day lives, reading researchers and educators need to begin to view them
as a central aspect of literacy research.”
 If computers have replaced the traditional literacy world, it is
noteworthy that educators, publishers, writers, and software
engineers might cooperate with each other to create more
interesting and economic online materials for students based on
the knowledge of students‟ reading habits and reading behaviors.

4.  C.S. Lewis says, "We read to know we are not alone."
 "Reading makes one perfect" is not an exaggeration.
 Reading habit opens new vistas of knowledge and takes one to wonderful worlds
 Chinese philosopher Confucius says, "No matter how busy you may think you
are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen
ignorance."
 Modern computer age reading materials so far referred to as real books,
newspapers and magazines are being replaced by e-books, online
newspapers and magazines.
 Computer reading is also a good skill much needed in modern lifestyle.
 Professor Monica Rosen, Professor of Department of Education at the University
of Gothenburg, Sweden: "Reading ability falls as leisure use of computers
increases.”
 Studies state that computer activities have impaired reading skills considerably,
because the computers have stolen the time that had been spent for leisure
reading.
 Reading skill is not as simple as it requires not only physical but also mental and
emotional readiness
 Computer usage causes eye strain by the monitor's glare and also causes
discomfort by the position in front of the computer. This results in an aversion for
reading.
Reading Habit in the electronic environment

5. D.C. Denison, Boston Globe
“The Internet
may be the
world's greatest
library, but let's
face it - all the
books are
scattered on the
floor.”
Image taken from
http://thebookwormsdiary.blogspot.com/

6. Make reading skill a positive development of electronic
environment
 Computer can well be used positively to tune up specific skills of reading.
 Reading has always been a pleasurable habit. Computer can make it most enjoyable and
help as the most valuable source of knowledge
 Mahmood (2004, pp.35-41) claimed that libraries play an important role in promoting the
reading habits in any society.
 Mahmood (2004, pp. 18-24) is of the view that reading is necessary to fulfill the demands of
the modern technological age.
 Reading habits are the practices of people to
deliberately seek reading material and devote time to
reading. The need for information and knowledge
motivates people toward reading. Reading is a source
of pleasure, intellectual satisfaction and knowledge
attainment.

7. Research Questions ?
 Purposes of this study were to investigate if computer technology
had changed BCA college students‟ reading habits and if their
online reading habits were associated with the demographic
variables, such as gender, age, academic
performance, employment status, and online hours.
Therefore, the following research questions will guide this study:
 Do college students read online information more often than offline
information in a general week?
 What do college students usually do and read when they surf on the
Internet?
 To what extent do students‟ reading habits and their demographical
variables, such as gender, age, education levels, employment
status, and personal online hours related?

8. METHOD
 Participants:
The participants for this study were 124 BCA College Students of Postgraduate
Govt. College, randomly selected on college campus in Una, Himachal Pradesh.
 Instrument and Procedure:
42-item questionnaire is designed for this study (see Appendix A). First, the
researcher generated items based on the intended purposes and the possible
research questions. Then, the researcher had peer review of the questionnaire from
two colleagues. The researcher and the teachers discussed the flaws of the
questionnaire, and revised the first draft of the questionnaire. Third, the researcher
brought the questionnaire to a writing class of 23 for a pilot study. Fourth, after
reviewing the results of the pilot study, the researcher revised the questionnaire and
developed it to current questionnaire. Finally, the researcher distributed questionnaires
on campus (e.g. in the canteen, in the library, in the classrooms, with three students‟
help. Those students stayed onsite, invited students to complete the
questionnaires, waited for their responses, and collected back those questionnaires.
Totally, 124 valid questionnaires were collected. After gathering the questionnaire, data
were analyzed through totaling the frequency and percentages of responses for each
of the 42 items with SPSS 12.0 for Windows. Crosstabs and Chi-square test were
conducted to analyze the data. The pair-wise comparison using the Holm‟s Sequential
Bonferroni Method was employed to detect the relationship between reading habits
and students‟ demographic variables.

9. RESULTS
Paper-based vs. Computer-based Reading
The first question asked if college students read more
computer-based information than paper-based information in a
general week.
Table 1 showed that 83.9% of them read online information
and 69.3% of the students read emails frequently every
week, while only 31.4% of students read newspaper, 33.1% of
them read magazines, 32.3%of them read textbooks, and 19.3%
of them read novels often in a general week. Meanwhile, 37.9%
of students rarely read novels and 17.7% of them never read
novels

10. Table 1. Students’ Weekly Reading Habits
Reading Never
N (%)
Rarely
N (%)
Sometimes
N (%)
Often
N (%)
Very often
N (%)
Newspaper 9 (7.3) 30 (24.2) 46 (37.1) 20 (16.1) 19 (15.3)
Magazines 6 (4.8) 30 (24.2) 47 (37.9) 27 (21.8) 14 (11.3)
Textbook 5 (4.0) 32 (25.8) 47 (37.9) 26 (21.0) 14 (11.3)
Novels 22 (17.7) 47 (37.9) 31 (25.0) 19 (15.3) 5 (4.0)
Email 1 (0.8) 13 (10.5) 24 (19.4) 36 (29.0) 50 (40.3)
Online information 0 (0.0) 6 (4.8) 14 (11.3) 42 (33.9) 62 (50.0)

11. Contents of Online Reading
The second question was “What do college students usually do
and read when they surf on the Internet?”
As is shown in Table 2, students tend to check emails (63.7%),
listen to music (79%), chat with friends (82.2%), use MSN
messenger (54.8%), read information (81.4%), view photo album
(69.3%), use Yahoo messenger (76.6%), shop (5.6%), and play
games (50%) when they go online.

12. Table 2. Things Students do Online
Things they do online
by ranking order
Yes
N (%)
No
N (%)
Check e-mail
Listen to music
Chat with friends
Use MSN messenger
Read information
View photo album
Use Yahoo messenger
Shop
Play game
79(63.7)
98(79)
102(82.2)
68 (54.8)
101 (81.4)
86 (69.3)
95 (76.6)
7 (5.6)
62 (50.0)
45(36.2)
26(21)
22 (17.7)
56 (45.2)
23 (18.5)
38 (30.7)
29 (23.4)
117 (94.3)
62 (50.0)

13. Online Information that College Student read online
Table 3 indicated that college students are reading news (48.4%), emails
(68.6%), sales information (38.7%), movie review (37.1%), and fashion news
(59.7%) than any other online information. Students seldom read magazines
(46%), e-books (58%), stories (56.4%), journal articles (62.1%), horoscopes
(37.9%), weather (39.5%), health (37.1%), comic strips (51.6%), jokes (50.8%),
sports (50.8%), jobs (46.8%), and food information (36.3%). Therefore, college
students read emails and fashion more often than any other online information.
And students rarely read e-books, stories, and journal articles online.

14. Table 3. Online Information that College Student seek
Online reading Never
N (%)
Rarely
N (%)
Sometimes N
(%)
Often
N (%)
Very often
N (%)
News
Magazines
e-book
Stories
Email
Journal articles
Sales
Movie review
Horoscope
Weather
Health
Comic strips
Jokes
Fashion
Sports
Job
Food
5 (4.0)
11 (8.9)
21 (16.9)
19 (15.3)
0 (0.0)
26 (21.0)
18 (14.5)
12 (9.7)
17 (13.7)
20 (16.1)
6 (4.8)
23 (18.5)
14 (11.3)
6 (4.8)
25 (20.2)
17 (13.7)
14 (11.3)
20 (16.1)
46 (37.1)
51 (41.1)
51 (41.1)
14 (11.3)
51 (41.1)
22 (17.7)
34 (27.4)
30 (24.2)
29 (23.4)
40 (32.3)
41 (33.1)
49 (39.5)
18 (14.5)
38 (30.6)
41 (33.1)
31 (25.0)
39 (31.5)
36 (29.0)
33 (26.6)
38 (30.6)
25 (20.2)
33 (26.6)
36 (29.0)
32 (25.8)
38 (30.6)
49 (39.5)
44 (35.5)
40 (32.3)
39 (31.5)
26 (21.0)
31 (25.0)
37 (29.8)
52 (41.9)
26 (21.0)
22 (17.7)
10 (8.1)
9 (7.3)
30 (24.2)
10 (8.1)
26 (21.0)
31 (25.0)
27 (21.8)
17 (13.7)
23 (18.5)
13 (10.5)
18 (14.5)
40 (32.3)
19 (15.3)
22 (17.7)
16 (12.9)
34 (27.4)
9 (7.3)
9 (7.3)
7 (5.6)
55 (44.4)
4 (3.2)
22 (17.7)
15 (12.1)
12 (9.7)
9 (7.3)
11 (8.9)
7 (5.6)
4 (3.2)
34 (27.4)
11 (8.9)
7 (5.6)
11 (8.9)

15. Online Information that College Student
seek
 Moreover, students‟ topics of interest by ranking are displayed in
Table 4. They are entertainment, news & media, computer &
internet, recreation and sports, references, arts & humanities,
health, business & economy, education, government, and
science in sequence. Entertainment and media have more
percentages than other topics. Business & economy, education,
government, and science have lower frequency and percentages
than any other item.

16. Table 4. Students’ Topics of Interest Online by Ranking
Topics of Interest N (%)
Entertainment
News & Media
Computer & Internet
Recreation & Sports
References
Arts & Humanities
Health
Business & Economy
Education
Government
Science
44 (35.5)
38 (30.6)
16 (12.9)
10 (8.1)
5 (4.0)
4 (3.2)
3 (2.4)
1 (0.8)
1 (0.8)
1 (0.8)
1 (0.8
Total 124 (100)

17. CHANGING ROLE OF LIBRARIES
 To serve the mobile patrons remotely is no doubt a challenge for the
library is vital for enhancing the quality of E – learning and distance
education in all its aspects.
 Particularly a backbone in the form of digital library is needed where
information resources are converted in the digital form, stored in
multimedia repositories and made available through digital platforms
and web – based services.
 The library will have to transform into E – mobile library providing
services on the 24/7 basis and in the personalized manner
 Developing an exclusive Library Web Portal, building institutional
repository and enriching them are thus important responsibilities for the
library. Tools like Data Mining, Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 and their future
versions will have to be routinely used for this purpose.

18. DIGITAL READING ROOMS/HALLS

19. age’
services encompassing the following facts:
 Instructing „invisible‟ library users who remotely
access information.
 Developing best practices for Web and
information searching to minimize the information
over load and resulting anxiety.
 Bringing the library contents in the work flow of
the users through mobile services.
 Imparting information literacy covering library
literacy, media literacy, computer literacy,
internet literacy, research literacy and critical
thinking.
 Managing man – machine collaboration.
 Promoting E – Learning and E – Research.

20. To sum up
 The nature of reading habit undergoes drastic
changes. Now the potential user can access,
browse and borrow the information from the
electronic libraries, sitting at home at his terminal.
Similarly, wide exposure to the „thrust information‟
to the user may induce and the reading habit.
Periodical orientation and training in use and
handling of information and database networks
may create curiosity among the users to go in for
extra reading.

21. CONCLUSION
 The results of this study revealed that students read online information more often
than offline information.
 The results also indicated that gender is related to reading news and jokes online. Age
is related to reading news, sales information, and horoscopes online. Education level
is tied to reading newspaper and magazine online.
 In our society today, while technology is slowly taking a steady control over individual
lives, the reading. Students now lack the skill of reading. Instead they spend more
hours on electronic media. Browsing the net, playing with funky handsets and passing
non-stop SMSs seem to be the order of the day, thereby making reading a book or any
other piece of written material in a quiet or peaceful corner of a library or home
become an archaic idea for most school children and adults .Reading habit is fast
vanishing into thin air (The Hindu, 2004).
 Information revolution is posing several challenges to the library and we are bound to
change accordingly.
 Influence of electronic and digital technology may lead to “Less – Paper” Society, but,
“both books and electronics documents are going to stay side by side, and each has a
definite role to play in „information communication‟ .
 Despite the global information infrastructure, Information High – ways, Optical
technology, KNOW BOT, Multimedia, Hypermedia, Virtual Library, etc. The domain of
print media do exists and with all advanced technologies peripherals, may further give
a boost to reading and reading habit.
 And this is an important goal for researchers who are interested in the impact of
computer technology on students‟ reading behaviors, since we all have to follow the
flow of technology when mice and keyboard as well as iPod dominate the world.