Can libraries, bookstores, and Kindle peacefully coexist?
By Marjorie Kehe | 11.06.09
“Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card.” Or so Peter Daining reminds us in his worthy post today on Tainted Green entitled “Libraries: The cheaper, greener alternative to book stores” in which he notes that, “it takes around 30 million trees to produce all the books in the US.”
If borrowing a book is not always as speedy as buying one, Daining exhorts us to take this quick pop quiz before we plunk down our dollars for the paperback du jour: “What’s better for the earth, waiting for a week for your neighbor to finish reading a book, or each buying a copy?”
“The green movement is a lot like preschool,” Daining counsels. “Patience and sharing must be key virtues of the environmental movement, if it is to succeed.”
I love the sentiment (and his blog) but I must admit that I remain a bit torn.
I adore my branch of the Boston public library. It is literally across the street from my home (I can see into the stacks from my bedroom window) and I am amazed at the books they can find for me through the inter-library loan system.
But at the same time, I am also an enthusiastic patron of our local independent bookstores (and, it must be confessed) sometimes even the chains. (A Friday night spent in a big Barnes & Noble is at least as good as most movies.) And I have a Kindle which, for convenience and speed, is well worth its tiny weight in gold.
I want to be green and I love the idea that in every city there is somewhere that anyone can find free books. So long live our wonderful public library system.
But I also want to see our bookstores survive (or better, even thrive). And at the same time I am one of the optimists who believes that in the long run (once the dust settles) devices like the Kindle will be good for reading.
So I guess I would like to believe that there is room for all three in our lives – libraries, bookstores, e-readers – and that all have their somewhat different uses and will find a way to peacefully coexist.
What do you think? Am I being naive – or are there enough different kinds of readers out there to support all three?
Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor’s book editor. You can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/MarjorieKehe.
Comments
2. Karen McQuestion | 11.07.09
I’m a Kindle author and advocate for ebook technology, but I’m also a huge fan of the library and independent bookstores. I’d love to be able to say that libraries, bookstores, and Kindle can peacefully co-exist, but I don’t think that’s a given unless there’s change. Remember when every mall had a music store? I fear bookstores may face the same future, unless they adapt. We’ve seen some of this already with the addition of coffeeshops and different types of merchandise in bookstores. This is clearly a time for innovation.
Historically libraries have stayed with the times by adding computers for Internet access, meeting rooms for book clubs, electronic card catalogs, and allowing inter-library loans. Electronic books would require another adjustment. I’d love for readers to be able to “take out” one of my Kindle novels as a library loan, and I hope I’ll see the day when that will happen.
3. Karie | 11.20.09
I think they will be able to coexist. Some of the new eReaders are accommodating bookstores and libraries. B&N’s Nook allows special perks/downloads when using the store’s wifi, so I think that is a great way to get eReader users to visit the physical store. Also, the Sony Reader Daily Edition, come release around the holidays, is supposed to allow library lending. It will be interesting to see what the future holds!
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1. T.J. | 11.07.09
I believe there is room for all three. At my library, you can download audio books. I can imagine that eventually the same will be possible for ebooks. Even though e-readers are increasing in popularity, there are plenty of books that aren’t available those devices. They are also too expensive for some people. In the long run, bookstores will still be around but they may not be what they are now. Most bookstores will carry fewer books and will probably cater to a specific group of readers.