This I believe may not be true. I think exposure to digital media has diverted the attention of print media readers towards digital media reading/viewing. I don't think reading habbit has declined at all. Well, you can say 'reading habbit has changed'. If this is the case then there shoule not be anything to surprise. Because the whole world is changing, Economy is shifting towards developing countries. Knowledge generation and flow of information are happening more in India and China and other emerging economies. This I am saying because 94 per cent of the economic growth of a country is due to growth in knowledge generation and dissemination. And if knowledge generation and information dissemination is more in India, that means there are more users/readers. "Nobel laureate economist Robert Solow showed that seven-eighth of the growth of US from 1900 to 1950 was accounted for by technical progress, while only one-eighth was driven by capital. A study by Denison, of factors contributing to the growth of the US economy from 1929 to 1982, attributes 94 per cent of that growth to factors relating to knowledge generation and dissemination: 64 per cent of this is linked to advances in knowledge generation (i.e. R&D) and another 30 per cent to advances in education. By one recent estimate, 50-60 per cent of all industrial output is based on information." [Quoted from 'India vision 2020: the report'] Regards, Aman Jha Librarian Confederation of Indian Industry Plot No 249-F, Udyog Vihar, Phase IV Sector 18, Gurgaon - 122015 (Haryana) Tel: 0124-4014060-67 aman.jha@ciionline.org http://www.ciionline.org -----Original Message----- From: lis-forum-bounces@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in [mailto:lis-forum-bounces@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in] On Behalf Of Parinita Samant Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 9:49 AM To: lis-forum-bounces@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in; lis-forum@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Subject: [LIS-Forum] Declining reading habits Importance: High Dear All, Declining reading habits are one of the major concerns of nearly all libraries today. Has anyone conducted a survey regarding why the reading habits are declining? What is it that users prefer to read today, and why? Does age, marital status, position or income play any major role in influencing reading? Has anyone conducted any such survey? Could you tell me the results that you got? Can you give me any information on this - any institute or person who has conducted such a survey and why? I am planning to hold such a survey, and would appreciate any help/ guidance that you could give me. Thanks & Regards Parinita Samant HexaVarsity Mumbai Library Hexaware Technologies Ltd 152, Millennium Business Park, Sect -IIIA Block, TTC Industrial Area Mahape, Navi Mumbai 400710 67919595 - Xt- 9707 ************************************************************************ *************************************************** This e-mail communication and any attachments may be privileged and confidential to Hexaware and are intended only for the use of the recipients named above. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not review, disclose, disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail and attachments. If you have received this email in error, please delete the same alongwith all attachments thereto and notify us immediately at mailadmin@hexaware.com . ************************************************************************ *************************************************** DISCLAIMER:The information in this message may be privileged. If you have received it by mistake please notify the sender by return e-mail and delete the message from your system. Any unauthorised use or dissemination of this message in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Any information in this message that does not relate to official business shall be understood to be neither given nor endorsed by the Confederation of Indian Industry.