Jeff Ayers - Guest Blogger - The Death of Books and Libraries

I hope the first day of the work week didn't come too soon for the lot of you! Here we are again at another Guest Blogger Monday, today's guest is Jeff Ayers. If you've read any of our books, I'm sure you have seen a few of his reviewed 'blurbs' on the back of our titles like Rogue Threat and Silver via Author Magazine. This is certainly an important topic he is hitting on so we hope you take the time to read and comment on his non-fiction piece:

The Death of Books and Libraries

It seems to be in the news every day now: Borders on the verge of bankruptcy, Barnes and Noble is up for sale, Amazon sold more e-books than physical books, etc. So the printed book is dead. Libraries, facing huge budget cuts, are not buying books anymore, adding to the demise of the book industry. Besides, people aren’t reading anymore – why would they when they can watch one of zillion TV channels, game online and Twitter their time away?

Seriously?

I’m a librarian in my day life, and I see readers of all ages coming into the building every day and checking out books. I see people sitting at tables reading. I see new books arriving every day. It might not be the same quantity from two years ago, but new ones are still coming in.

Let me tackle some of the arguments:

Libraries are irrelevant: Not true. In these grim economic times, even though the government would like all of us to think things are improving, libraries are being used more than ever. I accessed the July 2010 statistics of my library system and compared them to July 2009. Total number of visitors increased by 3%. Circulation was down by 4%, but downloadable audio and eBooks increased by 93%. As the majority of libraries offer internet access and free Wi-Fi, many folks are using libraries to job search, work on their resumes, and learn basic computer skills. Libraries are becoming a default social service, so I would say that libraries are even more necessary now than before. The library system adapts to the needs of its users. Libraries been declared irrelevant before, but have always survived and been innovators in the process. I can’t even begin to fathom what libraries will look like in five years, but I guarantee they will still be around, heavily used by all ages, and a necessary part of the community.

eBooks are on the rise and so the printed book is dead: Partly true. eBooks are definitely becoming more standard, but it is premature to sign the death warrant of physical books. Nothing can replace the feeling of holding a book, from cracking open the crisp cover and pages of one freshly printed to the soft, well worn pages of a favorite that it falling apart after being passed from person to person. Even with the drastic increase in downloaded material at my library, the majority of our users still prefer the physical book. Also, people like me who do read eBooks don’t read them exclusively. I’m sure if the statistics were available from Amazon and other eBook sources, they would show that people who buy eBooks also buy printed books. (And sometimes the same title in both).

People are not reading anymore: Definitely not true. People are reading more than ever, although the way we read is clearly changing. If no one is reading, then why are eBooks and eBook readers becoming the rage? Why have so many people who bought an iPad downloaded books from the iBooks store? I don’t think they spend money to download a title just so they can tell their friends they have books to read on it. Some people tell me e-reading has made it easier for them to find time to read. I can’t even begin to tell you how many librarians that I know have Kindles, Nooks, etc. My device has the Kindle App, the Nook App, and the iBooks App. I read from all three of them and still will have a book in hand. Just depends on my mood, or if I have a deadline for a review.

Bookstores are dead: I don’t think so. I do think they will have to adapt to survive in order to meet the demands of their customers, and I see a need for bookstores to have community events, recommending good titles to read, and…Oh. Sounds like what libraries are doing without the corporate funding. Bookstores are definitely going to have to work hard and be creative if they want to compete in the e-publishing era.

When this decade is over, it will be interesting to look back and see how much has changed from what we are just beginning to experience. What I can say with confidence, however, is that libraries will still be around, bookstores will still exist, and people will definitely be reading.


Great insight, Jeff. I'm glad to hear that you are optimistic based on your industry experience. To find more out about Jeff Ayers, visit his website voyagesofimagination.com. You can also check him out on Facebook, or any number of his reviews via Library Journal, Author Magazine and Publisher's Weekly (archived).

Librarians: Are there any more of you out there who would like to put in your two cents (maybe a nickle now with inflation...)? We would love to hear about your library and whether it is benefiting from this dip in the economy with an increase in member signed-out material or not.

Bookstore Owners/Operators: Whether you are a part of big chain or a "mom and pop" establishment, what is your take on the decline in bookstore revenue? Is it the economy? Is it online stores like Amazon? Is it something different, or a combination of factors?

Everyone: If one thing were to actually fade into oblivion (bookstores, libraries, paper books) what is the one you couldn't live without?