In the article Why Ebooks Need Libraries by Beverly
Goldberg, the author examines the problem of ebooks, which is that “sharing is
antithetical to ebooks.” This makes the
process of giving your friend a book recommendation a little harder as you
probably don’t want to hand over your Nook or Kindle so they can read it. After all, then what would you read? While many e book publishers have balked at
the idea of allowing libraries lend their e book titles, and those that do seem
to have made it as frustrating a process as possible, libraries are still one
of the best place to get people talking about books.
The article talks about the practice of “hand-selling”
talking directly about a book and making recommendations based on readers’
preferences. There are entire classes
and workshops on this topic in the world of libraries – Readers Advisory is one
of the most important aspects of library services. The publishers are worried that somehow
having more people read and discuss their books will make profit margins go
down. Yet as the author David Guterson
points out, his first book Snow Falling on Cedars became a best seller
because librarians were recommending it left and right.
Rather than doing their best to keep libraries away from the
world of e books, publishers should be running towards the library. I only buy a book after I’ve borrowed it from
a library and loved it. If I couldn’t borrow
books from the library, I would own a whole lot less books. With publishing moving in this new direction,
eventually people will have to find a new way to market, price and sell
books. But until then, it would make
everything a bit better if libraries weren’t being left out in the cold.
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