Information Processing Theory and Digital Reading: A Theoretical Framework for Academic Library Contexts

C. Melvin Jebaraj

C. Melvin Jebaraj Librarian, Suguna College of Arts and Science Coimbatore. Tamil Nadu. India

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital information environments has fundamentally transformed reading practices within academic settings. Scholars increasingly engage with electronic journals, e-books, institutional repositories, and multimedia resources through complex digital interfaces. While these developments have expanded access to scholarly information, they have also altered the cognitive processes involved in reading and comprehension. This paper proposes a theoretical framework that applies Information Processing Theory (IPT) to explain digital reading behaviour in academic library environments. Drawing on cognitive psychology, information behaviour research, and Library and Information Science (LIS) scholarship, the study integrates the core components of IPT sensory memory, working memory, and long-term memory with the structural characteristics of digital reading, such as hypertext navigation, multimedia integration, and increased cognitive load. The paper argues that digital reading environments often impose greater cognitive demands than traditional print reading due to fragmented attention, non-linear navigation, and interface complexity. To conceptualise these relationships, the study introduces the Digital Reading Cognitive Model (DRCM), which illustrates how digital interface design, cognitive mechanisms, and reader strategies interact to shape comprehension and knowledge retention. By extending IPT into the study of digital information behaviour, the framework positions academic libraries as cognitive environments that significantly influence learning processes. The study contributes to LIS theory by integrating cognitive science perspectives into digital reading research and offers implications for library interface design, digital literacy instruction, and future empirical investigation.

References

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