From the Director
Library news and happenings.
The used book business is booming, according to a recent article in Publishers Weekly. The internet and the economy are driving supply and demand. The internet has greatly expanding the buying and selling opportunities for used books, while economically some booksellers report long-time collectors are selling their collections and downsizing.
Some bookstores report more business in used books than new books, both in their store and on their website and have devoted more floor space and staff resources accordingly.
Of course if you are a public library user, you check out books from us rather than purchase them BUT we know folks want to own some books and have their own personal library. We librarians feel the same way!
As a KPL user, you can have easily have it both ways. Our very good friends, the Friends of KPL, operate the bookstore on the lower level of Central Library. They have only used books and very gently priced, less than on the internet or at most other used bookstores, and to make it even better, the revenue from the bookstore supports library programs and services, such as our just-completed Summer Reading games.
Come visit the library and the Friends Bookstore – borrow a book, buy a book.
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Friends Bookstore
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It seems as if every popular magazine or newspaper I pick up has an article about ebooks, downloading content, changes in the compensation model for authors and publishers. The professional journals and newsletters I read, take those very same topics and examine them from the library perspective – how will libraries be impacted by these changes, how can we stay current and relevant to our patrons.
A recent issue of Newsweek included an article on self-publishing. One author was unable to find a publisher for his first novel, decided to upload it to the Amazon Kindle Store, sold many copies, attracted the attention of a publisher, his book was published in hardcover. This is the opposite of the usual route.
This nontraditional route is becoming increasingly common. Print-on-demand is also a rapidly developing new model for publishing. One author reports earning more money per ebook than per hardcover – basically the middleman has been cut out in that model.
I like a quote in the article: “The gatekeepers have become who they should have been in the first place: the readers.” We readers decide what we want to read, in what format we want to read it, and if we want to buy it or check it out from the library. Some authors attribute the success of books published in these nontraditional ways to user generated reviews….we readers express our opinions freely and now increasingly widely.
Clearly these publishing changes will impact public libraries. We’ll follow developments closely. As those who read move increasingly into ebooks and downloadable content, we’ll provide more and more books in those formats too, but we’ll continue to have the traditional print books for quite some time.
Personally, I still prefer a traditional book, especially for the beach, but since I wrote my last blog entry, I’ve seen my first e-reader on the Lake Michigan beach.
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The self-publishing manual : how to write, print, and sell your own book by Dan Poynter
1568600739
Last Sunday, I walked about 45 minutes along the Lake Michigan beach. It was a perfect beach day with lots of folks swimming in the warmer-than-usual lake and sunbathing. Many of the sunbathers were also reading. As I walked, I tried to see what they were reading.
Most were holding mass market paperbacks or magazines. I didn’t notice one single e-reader in spite of the recent e-reader ads that tout how well they work on a sunny day at the beach. I noticed many reading one of the page turners from Stieg Larsson, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Girl Who Played with Fire; Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. I could tell from the cover graphics, that many were holding mysteries, but I couldn’t see the titles. People was a popular magazine choice that day.
After my walk, I returned to my beach chair and continued reading Let the Great World Spin, the August title for my book group. I’m looking forward to the discussion – there’s much to talk about in this one.
What are you reading on the beach or in your back yard this summer? And don’t forget to add it to your reading log for the grown-up summer reading game.
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Summer Reading
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Several times recently, I’ve said or written my prediction that traditional printed books will continue to be our focus for the remainder of my library career. If that prediction is going to be true, it’s a good thing I’m nearer the end of my career than the beginning!
It seems almost every publication I read lately, has an article about e-books. Amazon has announced sales of digital books increased 207% in the first five months of the year and it sells more books for its Kindle e-reader than it does traditional hardcover volumes. Last month they sold nearly twice as many Kindle books as hardcover ones.
Barnes & Noble reports physical books, as opposed to digital ones, will be the majority of its sales for the next five years but their future is bright with the Nook, their e-reader. Publishers still depend on bookstores to display their books and promote authors and they are a destination to test new products. They see a market for both.
Other publications report that authors are now bypassing publishers and posting older works or unpublished works directly on Amazon in exchange for 70% of the sales price. Many authors are reportedly earning more from such e-book sales than from hardcover sales, consistent with Amazon’s overall sales direction.
Of course this all has implications for libraries. Some are proposing inviting authors to share their works directly with libraries in digital format with libraries paying for each transaction. Some suggest a central depository for libraries to draw on and pay per download. All agree such an approach would require a coordinated effort – no individual library could accomplish this to any significant degree on its own.
I still stand by my prediction that traditional printed books will dominate during the remainder of my library career but I certainly see the shift to digital books and their advantages. That shift to a major focus on digital with printed books as almost an aside, could well happen during the career of our younger librarians.
Although we do have e-readers and e-books to check out, traditional printed books are still our mainstay and will be for some time.
Come visit soon; check out a traditional printed book OR an e-book!
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eBooks
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My handy desk dictionary defines “transliterate” as “to represent letter or words in the corresponding characters of another alphabet.”
I’m beginning to see this word more and more in the library literature, usually as “transliteracy” meaning “the ability to read, write, or otherwise communicate across different technological platforms.”
Libraries are increasing acknowledging that our role includes supporting transliteracy as well as the traditional literacy. We provide books for various reading levels in the traditional print format but we also provide them on e-readers and as a digital download to your computer or device. We offer computer classes for the public, we have over 100 computers for public use, and we have informational databases available in the library and remotely.
Through our staff Tech Team we examine new technologies as they gain popularity and determine if there are library applications that are logical. Technology rapidly changes and it is often hard to keep up, but it is important for us to keep pace with technological needs of our patrons. Right now we are looking at music downloads, apps for iPhones/iPads, and user friendly advancements to our online catalog.
Come visit soon. Try these services to increase your transliteracy or just find a good book for the beach!
Image: Bedminster Library, Bristol. UK. Collaborative artwork by Annie Lovejoy and Mac Dunlop, © 2005
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A ‘Transliterate’ design at Bedminster Library, Bristol. UK. Collaborative artwork by Annie Lovejoy and Mac Dunlop, © 2005
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…a book that doesn’t grab your attention, that is.
Some of us feel an obligation to finish a book once we have started it. We’ve become invested in it and should press on to the end.
Reader advisory expert and book reviewer, Nancy Pearl, encourages readers to give themselves permission to stop reading a book. She even has a “rule”: if you are 50 or younger, read at least 50 pages before you commit to reading it. If you are over 50, subtract your age from 100 and that is the number of pages you should read before deciding to read to the end or give up and move on to another title. Her theory is the older you are, the less time you have to read all the books on your list.
I like this “rule”. Some books just don’t grab my attention or it’s not the right time. I might want a lighthearted book, this one is serious. For those titles, I’ll keep them on my list, but come back to them at another time.
I think it is Thomas Jefferson who wrote “so many books, so little time”, but whoever it is, it makes the point of Nancy’s approach – move on to a book that engages you, ignites your imagination, takes you to new places.
We have many good books, come visit soon.
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Nancy Pearl visited Kalamazoo Public Library in 2006
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To Kill a Mockingbird is turning fifty this summer. Not surprisingly, it’s getting lots of media attention.
One newsletter writer referred to it as “more than a literary classic; it’s a 50-year testament to the ways a well-told story can inspire readers and impact a culture”.
Oprah referred to it our “national novel”. Others have suggested it as a parenting manual, a novel that taught other novelists how to write, the only way to understand racism. Author Anna Quindlen said she can’t be friends with anyone who doesn’t get Scout.
Many events are being organized across the country – readings, live re-enactments, showings of the movie, book discussions. A 50th anniversary hardcover edition will be published by HarperCollins.
The enduring interest in this novel is due to the subject – coming-of-age and the trial – as well as the writing itself. It takes on racism with a stand of what is right without, as one columnist has written, a tone of self-righteousness.
With the 50th anniversary, a new generation of readers may discover this treasure. For those of us who read it many years ago, it’s time to reread it.
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To Kill a Mockingbird
9780061743528
Earlier this spring, I read my first complete book, actually two, on one of our Sony eReaders. I’d only read excerpts previously to try it out.
My husband and I took a driving vacation. Usually I’d take five or six books along; this time I took 30+, all on the eReader and it wasn’t full.
I admit it took me a little while to get used to it – the screen, the page turning, the side light when needed, BUT it sure was convenient.
I read Little Bee, such a compelling novel that I would have kept reading no matter what the format, and a short story collection, Where the God of Love Hangs Out.
I’m not a total convert to eReaders; I still like the traditional printed book but it’s a format that has its place and it sure was easy to take an eReader rather than a stack of books on vacation.
We have several to loan; come visit and give on a try.
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Audiobooks & eBooks
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We spend months planning for summer and it’s finally here! Summer reading games for all ages kicked off last week with the end of school for KPS students.
As in recent years, kids – preschoolers and school age, tweens, teens, and grownups have their own game with age-appropriate requirements, incentives and prizes. Full information is on our website. Sign up at any branch or Central.
We have an array of events planned too: concerts, Zoomobile visits from Binder Park Zoo and John Ball Park, a musical circus, the ever-popular Bubblemania, cooking, crafts, gardening, and more.
And the “End-of-Summer Reading Party” to be held Sunday afternoon, August 29, will conclude our summer, but we won’t wish summer away….enjoy all the activities over the coming weeks.
On a more serious note, research shows that kids who read and write during the summer don’t lose “ground” over the break from school. Encourage all the kids in your life to read, either through a library summer reading game or books from their own collection.
Thanks to the FRIENDS OF KPL, our very good friends, for sponsoring all of our summer reading games.
Come visit soon.
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Summer @ KPL
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Most libraries separate mysteries from other fiction titles. Some also pull out other genre – westerns, science fiction, historical fiction, romance, for example. There was a time when it was obvious if a title fit a particular genre, but that’s not so true any longer for many titles.
I recently read an article on the dilemma this is presenting for booksellers. They call it genre-bending and give examples of titles that feature time travel, mystery and historical fiction all in one. Where does such a title belong to catch the eye of a bookstore browser and hopefully lead to a sale? The article’s author wonders if we need extensive testing to determine the genetic genre makeup of some titles!
Libraries face the same situation. If we put the right book in the wrong place, the right reader won’t find it if they are browsing. Some librarians believe genre classifications are going the way of top hat or, to continue to be useful to readers, will need to be even further fragmented. This issue can be addressed through the library catalog when a title is given multiple subject headings, but many readers browse the shelves for a good book they don’t browse the catalog.
I don’t see KPL creating additional genre collections for fiction. However, our staff is always available to help readers find a good book in any specific or multiple genre category. Our staff have varied reading interests and we have reader advisory tools to help to.
Come visit soon. We’ll be glad to help you find a good book or just browse.
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Books @ KPL
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