The changing face of reading

Students reading
Image: FAU/David Hartfiel

An international ‘Network for Reading Research’ has now been set up

How is reading changing in the age of digitalisation and social change? What significance and function will it have in future? Together with researchers from other institutions, researchers at FAU are investigating these questions in the newly-founded ‘Network for Reading Research’.

Reading offers an extremely broad range of potential subjects for research, ranging from world-class literature to recipes or contracts, both in printed and digital form. The aim of the Network is therefore to systematically encourage dialogue and explore research questions revolving around reading as well as pursuing common research interests. Prof. Dr. Svenja Hagenhoff, Institute of Book Studies at FAU, Prof. Dr. Simone C. Ehmig from the Institute of Research on Reading and Media of Stiftung Lesen Mainz, and Prof. Dr. Ute Schneider, Gutenberg Institute for World Literature and Written Media of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz are the coordinators of the programme. The idea for the Network was launched at the ‘Dimensions of Reading’ symposium in November 2019 in Hanover, sponsored by the Volkswagen Foundation. Plans are underway to add further subjects and perspectives to the Network, to create a common platform for providing information about projects and results and to create an impetus for interdisciplinary research networks and focus areas.

Detailed information on the ‘Network for Reading Research’ is available on the website of the research network.

Further information

Prof. Dr. Svenja Hagenhoff
Institut für Buchwissenschaft
Phone: + 49 9131 85 24754
svenja.hagenhoff@fau.de