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March 19, 2008
Very good results from Hillingdon
The Bookseller reports this morning on the figures from Hillingdon
Since this campaign for public libraries started in 1998, the message has been simple. Public libraries will be very successful if they are well stocked with books.
This wasn't said out of any piety for literacy or desire to reverse the passage of time, it was a simple statement of truth borne out of experience.
In the early 1980's when I worked there, WH Smith discovered, in a huge replanning exercise that if they made generous displays and improved the range of books, their customers bought them in huge numbers. Store by store we went round and changed the allocation of space and found there was an enormous uncomplicated demand for books, the subject matter they covered and the stories they told. This led directly to the growth of large groups of book stores, Dillons, Sherratt and Hughes, Hatchards and eventually Waterstone's. The experience was exactly the same. Large ranges of well published books feed an enormous national demand. It's not about elitism or do- gooding-- in fact it's not far from a great desire to know about things and read about them.
All that has ever needed to be said is - put books in large quantity and quality in libraries and people will want them.
It is hard to believe how long it has taken how fierce the resistance has been to actually try this out and show that it is true. Henry Higgins in Hillingdon (and his friend John Whelan) are the first two people in the whole country who had the guts and the sense to say-- well it's not rocket science-- let's try it.. And obviously it works.. we knew it would the whole time
Let's do it everywhere. It's nothing to do with Government or politics or any of that tosh-- it's just common sense.
Posted by Perkins at March 19, 2008 11:45 AM
Comments
What Perkins (aka Tim Coates?) doesn't realise is that Hillingdon Librarians have been prevented from spending money on books this year and the stock fund is very underspent. Perhaps the success of Hillingdon Libraries has been due to the Librarians he so derides.
Posted by: Librarian at March 31, 2008 1:40 PM
Mr Coates work in Hillingdon was completed with a report to the council last September. One believes he would much have wished to continue but that was not possible, nevertheless the council has made good use of the work he did do.
Posted by: perkins at March 31, 2008 3:59 PM