Reading is fundamental for higher education and scientific research, and it is primarily organized by academic libraries. Academic reading at the same time is characterized by specific requirements and benefits, which are addressed by available reading options, practices, and media. Although socialized literacies, routinized reading practices and established reading media are changing by digitization, consequences of these changes have been rarely analyzed for the academia. This interdisciplinary collection of papers therefore is asking what we actually know about academic reading competencies, reading practices and libraries in a quickly expanding digital academic environment.