The Avicenna Center for E-Learning organized a workshop titled “The Importance of Reading and Dialogue between Paper and Electronic Books” on Monday, July 8, 2024. The workshop was presented by Assistant Translator Atoor Abbas Jasim and Assistant Translator Zainab Younis Ibrahim.
The workshop aimed to promote a culture of reading. Ms. Atoor explained the positive effects of reading on health, such as protecting readers from age-related diseases, stimulating cognitive abilities, and improving memory. Reading also plays a significant role in reducing stress and anxiety.
Ms. Atoor also discussed methods to encourage children to read. Instilling this habit from a young age can help retain it into adulthood. Suggestions included taking children to buy useful books, creating a reading-friendly environment at home by making books accessible, reading stories to them daily, and helping them choose age-appropriate books. Developing a reading habit in children enhances their cognitive development, provides them with knowledge, and fills their free time productively.
Ms. Zainab highlighted the importance of transitioning from paper to electronic books. She began by defining e-books and listed their advantages, noting that e-books are environmentally friendly since paper books are made from trees and require fossil fuels for production, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and waste. Additionally, e-books are generally cheaper than printed books and allow easy transportation of numerous titles. E-books are also easier to find and download compared to paper books. However, Ms. Zainab pointed out some disadvantages of e-books, including the high cost of the devices needed to read them, the possibility of not finding certain titles in electronic format, and the lack of the tactile experience that paper books provide, which can enhance the enjoyment of reading.
The presenters called for the reinforcement of reading habits and proposed strategies such as using applications and websites like Hindawi, (مكتبة الكتب) Library of Books, and Aldiko, which facilitate access to various types of books according to individual interests. They also recommended reading for short periods to gradually turn it into an indispensable daily habit.
