Digitization and emotional design of textbooks as determinants of reading habits of LIS students in Nigeria

Purpose The shift from print to digital learning resources has redefined how students access, interact with and retain academic content. However, despite the rapid adoption of digital textbooks, concerns persist about shallow engagement, multitasking and weak reading discipline, leaving unanswered questions about whether digitization and emotional design can meaningfully transform students’ reading culture. This study aims to investigate the extent to which digitization and emotional design of textbooks influence the reading habits of Library and Information Science (LIS) students in Nigerian universities. Specifically, it assessed the extent of students’ use of digitized textbooks, the influence of emotional designs of digital textbooks on students’ reading interest and the patterns of reading habits exhibited by LIS students. In addition, three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at a 0.05 level of significance. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were collected using a structured four-point Likert-scale questionnaire administered electronically to 362 LIS undergraduate students across ten Nigerian universities. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze patterns of utilization and perceptions, while Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and multiple regression analysis tested the study’s hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. Findings Findings revealed that LIS students moderately used digitized textbooks and perceived emotional design features such as visual appeal, interactivity and storytelling as moderately enhancing their interest. However, their reading habits were weak, characterized by irregular schedules, superficial engagement and multitasking. Correlation results showed a positive and significant relationship between digitization and reading habits (r = 0.412, p < 0.05) and between emotional design and reading habits (r = 0.365, p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis indicated that digitization and emotional design jointly explained 22.9% of the variance in reading habits (R² = 0.229, p < 0.05). The study concludes that digitization and emotional design are critical enablers of reading engagement but cannot independently sustain deep and consistent reading habits. Originality/value This research is one of the few empirical studies into how digitization and emotional design of textbooks jointly shape reading habits among LIS students in Nigeria. The study’s uniqueness lies in combining technological and affective dimensions of textbook design to explain academic reading behaviors among LIS students in Nigerian universities.