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An article by Kenneth Whyte that appeared on Saturday in the Globe and Mail has sparked a firestorm of indignant outrage amongst librarians and others who care about books and reading. The gist of Whyte's argument is that libraries and book dealers are fierce competitors with each other and that moreover, libraries actually have an unfair advantage over bookshops because they are largely financed by public funds. I'll leave it to you, dear reader, to judge for yourself the merits of his claims:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-thanks-to-government-funding-libraries-are-poised-to-win-market-share/
To be sure, libraries and booksellers do have some goals in common and their owners, managers and other employees have overlapping skill sets. Indeed, there is a certain degree of crossover in the staff of both types of institutions. But their mandates and missions, while complementary, generally differ in a number of important ways.
I'm not going to explore all the theoretical or academic arguments here. Instead I want to focus on what it means for the everyday reader.
Maybe you subscribe to a few magazines. For example, Chatelaine or Walrus or Macleans. Although I'm thinking if I did subscribe to Macleans, I'd be sorely tempted to cancel my subscription after reading Whyte's article! But chances are, there are also other magazines which occasionally publish an article you'd like to read. If it comes to your attention when it first hits the newsstands then sure - you can buy a copy of that issue from your favourite bookstore. But where will you find the article once it's several months old? Chances are, you'll get it through your library.
Large bookstore chains are great for finding the latest bestsellers, often at deeply discounted prices. But what about books from smaller presses with limited print runs? Or books that have long been out of print? You can special-order them from a used book dealer if you know they exist and the price is within your budget. You can browse WorldCat. And I've had some serendipitous moments at Friends of the Farm and various school-based used book sales. But for treasure troves of books that are available in your neighbourhood, to browse on an ongoing basis - except maybe during a pandemic - I'd say the library is by far your best bet.
Bookstores are not all alike, of course. I make a special effort to support the smaller independent shops, which generally provide superior customer service. Quite often, they issue newsletters of their own, with helpful reviews and reader recommendations. Like libraries, they hold readings, signings and other book-oriented events which pay off in terms of both reader engagement and book sales. But events of that kind have been on hold for the past few months, and many independents are hurting.
So what can we do? I'll conclude by providing a link to the recent report entitled Independent Bookstores in Canada's Post-Covid Cultural Landscape. It has some useful and thought-provoking suggestions about the policy directions we might take.
https://www.morecanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Independent_Bookstores_in_Canadas_post-Covid_cultural_landscape.pdf
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-thanks-to-government-funding-libraries-are-poised-to-win-market-share/
To be sure, libraries and booksellers do have some goals in common and their owners, managers and other employees have overlapping skill sets. Indeed, there is a certain degree of crossover in the staff of both types of institutions. But their mandates and missions, while complementary, generally differ in a number of important ways.
I'm not going to explore all the theoretical or academic arguments here. Instead I want to focus on what it means for the everyday reader.
Maybe you subscribe to a few magazines. For example, Chatelaine or Walrus or Macleans. Although I'm thinking if I did subscribe to Macleans, I'd be sorely tempted to cancel my subscription after reading Whyte's article! But chances are, there are also other magazines which occasionally publish an article you'd like to read. If it comes to your attention when it first hits the newsstands then sure - you can buy a copy of that issue from your favourite bookstore. But where will you find the article once it's several months old? Chances are, you'll get it through your library.
Large bookstore chains are great for finding the latest bestsellers, often at deeply discounted prices. But what about books from smaller presses with limited print runs? Or books that have long been out of print? You can special-order them from a used book dealer if you know they exist and the price is within your budget. You can browse WorldCat. And I've had some serendipitous moments at Friends of the Farm and various school-based used book sales. But for treasure troves of books that are available in your neighbourhood, to browse on an ongoing basis - except maybe during a pandemic - I'd say the library is by far your best bet.
Bookstores are not all alike, of course. I make a special effort to support the smaller independent shops, which generally provide superior customer service. Quite often, they issue newsletters of their own, with helpful reviews and reader recommendations. Like libraries, they hold readings, signings and other book-oriented events which pay off in terms of both reader engagement and book sales. But events of that kind have been on hold for the past few months, and many independents are hurting.
So what can we do? I'll conclude by providing a link to the recent report entitled Independent Bookstores in Canada's Post-Covid Cultural Landscape. It has some useful and thought-provoking suggestions about the policy directions we might take.
https://www.morecanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Independent_Bookstores_in_Canadas_post-Covid_cultural_landscape.pdf
