All change for books
Books may not survive in their current form as reading habits change in the digital age, an expert has warned. Bill Bell, of the University's School of Literatures, Languages and Culture, claims that devices such as iPads may lessen the appetite for longer novels as multi-media devices shorten readers' attention spans. As technological devices encourage a different style of reading, books may need to become easier to navigate with shorter chapters and more information links. A different style of reading. Readers may also be less inclined to read texts straight through from start to finish and instead be diverted by links on screen. Bell joined historians and information technology experts to look at how these new forms are transforming the way in which people read. The three-day conference in Edinburgh discussed how electronic books and media devices might influence the world of publishing.
