Russian Flag

By Dennis Abrams

At Russia Beyond the Headlines, Marina Obrazkova looked at current trends in Russian reading culture.

It turns out that printed books are still the most popular format, but e-book use is growing. In addition, fewer people are going to libraries, which, like libraries everywhere are “diversifying their services to gain new subscribers and maintain a healthy volume of readers.”

A survey conducted this year by the Public Opinion Foundation found that Russian readers preferred printed books over eBooks by 49% to 9%. These numbers though, come from those who read at least once a month; and, sadly, 37% of those surveyed said “that they do not read books at all.”

Obrazkova spoke to Anna Yudina, a 29-year-old avid reader and book purchaser, who, like so many readers around the world, doesn’t have nearly enough space to store them all. “I really love going to bookstores or just rummaging through bookstands on the streets. I guess it’s the best way to relax. I then have to take them to my grandmother’s because my rented apartment is too small to keep them.”

She went on to note that despite her love for the printed page, she is downloading more and more ebooks not only because of issues of space, but to make it easier to take them on business trips.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.