THUNDER BAY -- A University English professor believes that reading is more endangered than books will ever be.
Although Lakehead University associate professor Scott Pound is concerned about the future of literacy, he focused his time on books surviving the digital trend as he spoke on a panel at Brodie Street Library on Sunday.
The Future Of The Book panel kicked off Research and Innovation week.
Pound sees the nature of books changing but he told the crowd the paperless society promised in the electronic age is not coming.
"I think what we are looking at is a convergence of the printed book, different ways of packaging books online, different interfaces and what we are seeing right now is that the printed book is very competitive," he said.
Pound pointed out the eReader phase has died down and printed books are selling better than eBooks.
"I think the printed book is a robust and a durable medium, a great interface and a great invention. I think those aspects will stand for a long time."
In Pound's experience, Millennials struggle with reading because their attention is dispersed on many tasks at once. Technology is changing learning. His own son, for example, became a lifelong reader through playing video games.
"I think connectivity and interactivity are good things but I think they are also things that we need to manage because they can be very disruptive," he said.
"When our habits or attention are constantly being dispersed, I worry. It concerns me, especially for young readers.
Research and Innovation week continues till March 10.
