Printed books are still the most popular format in Russia, but the use of electronic books is rising steadily. The statistics seem to suggest that less people are going to libraries, which in turn are diversifying their services to gain new subscribers and maintain a healthy volume of readers in the country.
According to survey carried out by Public Opinion Foundation this year, despite a rise the popularity of their electronic counterparts, (11)_____________. However, this is only based on individuals who read at least once a month, and perhaps a more telling statistic is that 37 percent of those surveyed said that they do not read books at all.

Unchanging readership levels
29-year-old Anna Yudina loves to read and always buys books, (12)_____________. “I really love going to bookstores or just rummaging through bookstands on the streets,” she says. “I guess it’s the best way to relax. I then have to take them to my grandmother’s because my rented apartment is too small to keep them.” She explains that (13)____________, she is being forced to download more and more electronic books in order to take them on her business trips.
Vadim Mescheryakov, (14)____________ , explains that the percentage of people who read books has not changed for several generations. “Some of these people buy electronic books, but (15)____________”, says Mescheryakov. According to the publisher, readers today are characterised by their solidarity.
According to Mescheryakov, the number of readers is not affected, such as BookCrossing or Books in the Parks, (16)____________ “If a book is well promoted and someone buys it, that doesn’t mean they will go on to read regularly. If someone reads a trash novel, they won’t move on to Dostoevsky.”

Innovating libraries
Besides Internet forums, libraries are the main places where readers can meet up. According to the Public Opinion Foundation’s survey, the number of people visiting libraries (17)____________, but Lilia Bagrova, (18)____________, believes that there is actually growing interest in them.
“People are coming to us for information,” she says. “Because of the fragmentation of the information space into specializations, everyone is interested in knowledge integration, and librarians (19)____________.” According to Bagrova, the Nekrasov Library now serves 9,400 readers annually, up from five to six thousand.
Many Moscow libraries are organizing events to attract readers. “Our library has the advantage of being in an exceptional building, so many people come to see that and then browse the books afterwards,” says Bagrova. “We have a club for book-lovers that meets at the library and one for movie fans. We organize joint events with schools, such as photography and other kinds of exhibitions. There are also approaches that are completely new to us, such as co-working and library tourism, (20)____________.