KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — A bookstore’s initiative to give away free books was met with an overwhelming response as thousands of eager book lovers queued up for over two hours to claim their copies, proving that conventional books are still popular.
BookXcess, located in KL East Mall here, is offering 200,000 books of various genres over three days, starting yesterday.
Bernama spoke to several people waiting patiently for their turn yesterday, all of whom had one thing in common — they still prefer the joy of reading physical books compared to accessing titles in digital format.
University student R. Vishal, 19, said while the world, including his peers, is increasingly inclined toward digital reading materials, he still chooses physical books as he feels calmer, more comfortable and less distracted when reading them.
“Many of my friends prefer e-books or just reading the summaries (of books) on social media but I prefer physical books. Printed material helps me understand the content better,” he said.
Private sector employee Tan Xiao Ren, 39, said he was there to take the opportunity to find suitable reading materials for his two children, aged seven and four, to encourage them to pick up the reading habit from an early age.
“Parents today face the challenge of kids being addicted to gadgets. I feel it’s necessary to introduce them to books that can not only help them develop critical thinking skills but also expand their knowledge,” he said.
Lecturer Dr Sophie Yusof, 46, believes that physical reading materials and the reading culture will always have a place in society if promoted in engaging ways.
“Malaysians actually love initiatives like this but we don’t get many such offers… if more initiatives like this are organised, I believe more people will become interested in reading,” she said, also suggesting initiatives like membership programmes to encourage the public to buy physical books at more affordable prices.
Meanwhile, BookXcess Sdn Bhd co-founder Andrew Yap said the event is a form of appreciation and a way to give back to the community.
“We want to leave as many books as possible for the community here before we move to a new location. This is the first time we are giving away books in such a large quantity and we hope in the future, we can give away one million books,” he said.
Yap said his company, which has been in operation for 19 years, has 22 bookstores nationwide, adding he is optimistic the number will continue to grow as there has been no decline in the requirement for physical books.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi MARA Faculty of Communication and Media Studies lecturer Mohamed Shamil Hizamie Mohamed Norhisham said the free book initiative could attract more people to start reading, especially those who cannot afford to buy books.
“Books, especially physical ones, are like ‘long-term investments’, but not many are willing to invest or spend money on books. So when programmes like this offer free reading materials, it removes that barrier although we’re not sure if they’ll actually read them,” he said.
Mohamed Shamil Hizamie, who is also the coordinator of the faculty’s publishing programme, also suggested that publishers and publishing houses diversify mediums, including using augmented reality (AR) technology that allows readers to see 3D virtual objects in physical books.
“If we want to attract the younger generation, we need to be more creative in order to encourage them to read. There is already a group of book lovers, which is why book fairs are packed, but we should focus on expanding the reading culture to everyone, not just a small segment,” he added. — Bernama