University students viewed their screens for an average of 14.3 hours per day in the 2021-2022 academic year, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information; approximately 7.6 hours are spent studying and about 6 hours are spent recreationally. Considering how much time most people already spend on their electronic devices — whether for school or leisure — our eyes rarely get a break.
McGill removed 2.38 million physical sources from its downtown campus in 2024. In 2025, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences found that among graduate students, 64.4 per cent were e-book readers. Additionally, according to the Association of American Publishers, in 2024, digital book formats accounted for 14 per cent of revenue, which increased by 11.4 per cent since 2023. This trend does not seem to be just some passing fad: in an interview with BBC, Robert Stein — the founder of the Institute for the Future of the Book — states “The affordances of screen reading will continuously improve and expand, offering people a reason to switch to screens.”
In other words, online media is becoming more accessible, and, as a result, increasingly consumed. At the Colleges of Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, 74.6 per cent of students who prefer e-books do so because they are easier to carry, while students at Yeditepe University primarily use e-books for research and accessibility. E- books are greatly accessible because they are cost-effective, can be used by many people at the same time, and obtained without leaving the comfort of your room.
The benefits of these digital resources extend to learning. According to a 2024 ACRL study at Rowan University, e-books are “linked to quick decision-making, [and] rapid pattern recognition.” However, the ACRL also states that e-books are associated with “instant gratification, and often impatience when results are not immediate.” This is because the convenience of the Internet comes with a caveat: worsening self-control and time-management, as well as a greater propensity towards distraction.
On the other hand, print books are “linked to deeper focus and concentration, better integration of concepts, and easier memorization.” Moreover, according to the Colleges of Sultan Qaboos University study, 67.9 per cent of students prefer physical books for the purpose of note-taking. Reading comprehension is 6 to 8 times greater with the use of print books. According to Psychology Today, the physical act of turning a page creates an “index” in the reader’s mind “mapping what we read visually to a particular page.”
Although these results suggest each form of media has different uses – print for studying, e-books for research – the increased screen time that accompanies digital media use poses many adverse effects on mental and physical health.
So, is a lighter backpack worth the headache?
According to another study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, excessive screen time can cause back pain and a collection of eye-related problems including “eye strain, headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, as well as neck and shoulder pain.” Mentally, ramifications include “increased levels of depression, anxiety, and overall other mood disorders” as well as negatively impacting “social relationships and cognitive development.”
Moreover, according to the 2024 ACRL study, first-generation university students feel the impact of increased digital resource use more acutely. Universities assume that current students are “digital natives who prefer electronic resources since they have grown up surrounded by this technology” and benefit from the accessibility of electronic resources, but libraries have witnessed the opposite with first-generation students.
Perhaps most importantly, print books are preferred by a majority of students. According to a 2015 study conducted by Dr. Naomi S. Baron —a professor emerita of world languages and culture at American University — 92 per cent of students favour physical books over digital ones.
However, this does not dismiss the very real issue of cost. Even though physical sources are often preferred and more beneficial to learning, they are not always chosen. This is due to the expense of print books and course packs, and the accessibility of digital versions. At McGill, some professors link both libraries and Internet- sourced e-books on their syllabi, as well as scanned PDFs of book sections on myCourses. Conversely, others require students to find the texts on their own. This requires either spending hundreds of dollars at Paragraphe or the McGill Bookstore, or otherwise finding online and possibly illegally-pirated copies. It seems that many universities are taking advantage of the abundance of online resources available to avoid the responsibility of providing students with a more affordable means of accessing print media.
That being said, resources exist — both within and beyond McGill — meant to improve your access to print books.
McGill students can request physical books from McGill’ s libraries as well as from the 17 Partenariat des bibliothèques universitaires du Québec (PBUQ) member Quebec university libraries through the Sofia Discovery Tool — a shared library catalogue. If you prefer to borrow books in person at other university libraries, simply bring your McGill ID card to show the library staff and they will provide you with a library card. Additionally, students can borrow books from McGill partner libraries, such as the Montreal Neurological Institute Hospital Library, Neuro-Patient Resource Centre, Polish Institute, and Presbyterian College Library.
If you want to save money and roam the welcoming wooden aisles of a cozy bookshop, independent booksellers are also an option. Barely a five minute walk from campus, The Word is a family-run staple of the McGill and broader Montreal community, providing coursebooks and used texts in English and French. Librairie l’Échange is another secondhand bookstore, located in Plateau Mont-Royal; they sell books, CDs, and records in English and French. Next to Berri-UQAM, Volume Boutique sells used books, DVDs, CDs, and records. On Boulevard de Maisonneuve are two more secondhand bookstores: Librairie Bonheur D’Occasion and Yann Vernay Librairie.
Additionally, there are many useful websites that resell or even loan course materials. These include, but are not limited to: Thrift Books, the McGill University Book Exchange, and the Free Textbook Loan Program — a student-led initiative of the QPIRG- McGill Alternative Library.
The Department of English Student Association (DESA) also hosts biannual book sales.