New Forms of Literacy and Transformation of Reading Practices in Bulgaria

Abstract

The study presents the results of a survey on the reading practices in Bulgaria based on up-to-date library statistics. The statistical data cover the dynamics of using the traditional library collections and the databases in the Bulgarian National Library and the Library of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The study found that reading habits have been transformed due to changes in the information environment. Terms like “digital” and “mobile literacy” have emerged underlying the differences in user experiences and technical skills that are required when using new technologies to locate, evaluate, and use information. Reading in the library is regarded in the study as specialized reading with its institutional characteristics. Common tendencies and features in the change of reading practices have been established by using quantitative methods based on comparative analysis. These quantitative methods help in determining the changes in reading practices as a result of the development of technology, thus leading to new forms of literacy. There is a productive interaction between reading practices and the introduction of new technologies. The results of the study can help in defining the role of the library in this process, and predict future tendencies.