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September 27, 2006
Christopher Hawtree writes from Hove
"It is books that do libraries' work for them. Word spreads that there is a good, readily available collection, new and old. There is no need of razzmattazz, word of mouth does its stuff.
Here in Hove, where we have had a celebrated struggle to keep our Carnegie library, there is palpable joy as it accumulates more stock. Every time that I look along the shelves of reserved books which readers have requested, I marvel at the spread of interests and enthusiaasms which people have. The whole point of a library.
The Library is willing to buy all manner of things, and with any institution, it responds to readers.
Across the country, readers should be alerted to the fact that the library system can provide all manner of books: ask for something, and it will come along.
The more that readers can be pesuaded to do this, the more that the powers-that-be will realize that there is a public hungry for books, which, in turn, is good for publishers hard-pressed to get their books through the 3-for-2 maw of the chainstores.
Books, not consultants!"
Christopher Hawtree
Posted by Perkins at September 27, 2006 8:33 PM
Comments
Christopher has hit the nail right on the head again. Because it is not just quantity that is important but also the quality of the bookstock which attracts people to Libraries. Unfortunately this has declined as libraries have forgotten their traditional role of maintaining bookstocks and relied increasingly on inter-library loans from the British Library to satisfy demand. Centralised and automated purchasing systems and automated stock control have also contributed to the depletion of library bookshelves, but the central problem has been a change of focus throughout the structure of the Library service.
Posted by: Martyn at September 28, 2006 11:00 AM