The online version of Canada’s Quill & Quire magazine has posted a June, 2013 guest column by two Vancouver librarians, Shirley Lew and Baharak Yousef.
It’s titled, “Why Libraries Should Get Into the Book-Selling Business.
Here are three passages from the column.
Canada’s publishing industry is facing tremendous instability and transition. As Canadian-owned publishers struggle to remain independent, the impending merger of Penguin and Random House will further shift the balance of power into fewer hands.
[Clip]
Instead of being bystanders to this devastation, libraries have compelling reasons to seize the opportunity it presents. We have a mandate to help preserve our literary and cultural landscape; we have the space, often in rent-controlled buildings; we know how to buy and promote books; and we are not constrained by the need to turn a profit. We are uniquely equipped to sell books and support writers, publishers, and reading in Canada.
Ours would not be a traditional business venture, but an extension of the service we already provide. It would operate on a self-sustaining, cost-recovery basis. The inventory would highlight books from Canadian publishers and writers, and reflect a range of voices across social, cultural, political, economic, and artistic spectrums. It would be a dynamic, jumbled, and chaotic collection of books and ideas.
Read the Complete Column by Shirley Lew and Baharak Yousef
See Also: Ottawa Public Library Wants Readers to Buy Books Through Library Website (March 6, 2013)
Includes mention of Toronto Public Library “Buy A Book” Program
About Gary Price
