Books in a Library: Victims of Systematic Elimination

What does the word “library” mean to you? Take a moment to ponder on what components make up a library, and what visions come to mind when thinking about the modern library in America today.

Still pondering? Take your time.

A lot of people who I have asked to think about what makes up a library come up with similar ideas and visions. They associate the library with a place that has shelves upon shelves of free books to check out. Free Internet access. University dwellers think of a quiet place to study, print documents and do a little research from the electronic journal databases. Every now and again, someone I ask to envision a library thinks of a place that doesn’t exist physically, like many of the digital libraries and collections available on the Internet. Different people have different concepts of the components that go into a library, but all of these concepts circle around a general set of goals or a shared premise: Libraries exist to provide information in its various formats. Once upon a time in the not too distant past libraries had but one way of ultimately providing information: the written word as presented in a physical resource. Usually, this came in the form of books and journals. In recent times as libraries offer other channels to acquire information (such as tapes, CDs, books on portable mp3 players, electronic books and digital archives) physical books have quickly become the victim of systematic downsizing to save space, weed out “old” material, and decrease the cost of up keeping a collection of materials that easily includes thousands of volumes. I ask, is this a wise decision?

True, libraries exist to provide information. True again that there are a multitude of new formats in which to take in information. Thirdly true that many libraries are dealing with limited space and money, which books use up in spades. However, the systematic removal of books does carry with it a cost that ultimately may outweigh the benefits of downsizing.

First is the elimination of the “long -tail”. This concept is fairly prominent model in some internet businesses, such as Amazon.com. To put the concept in a library-context, in which we have patrons seeking information rather than consumers, will require a little summary. Basically, patrons in a given area seek the same kinds of information over and over again, creating a list of materials (books, magazines) that become quite popular and get checked out all the time. The library will acquire more of these popular materials to serve their patrons, and weed out books that don’t often get checked out.

The problem is that in many instances that combined number of checkouts from “unpopular” books often surpasses the number of checkouts from the few but heavily used “popular books.” In weeding out “unpopular” books, libraries are essentially cutting their own throats by making information less available to their patrons. In addition to this, cutting the long-tail creates a homogenizing effect on collections that can devastate the patron’s ability to find what they need. Interesting but obscure books disappear as more books on common or popular topics flood in. Eventually, patrons won’t be able to learn about anything specialized and must seek out different channels for their needs.

A second major problem with downsizing a collection of physical books is the availability of replacing what is removed in a different format. A lot of books aren’t available in digital form. Many interesting topics are represented strongly in print but little credible information exists anywhere else. Watch-making is a good example of this.

The last major point to make is that libraries offer a place to protect information from potential digital and technological backlash. Is my suspicion that digital backlash is already beginning to appear with the uprising of trends that have a strong base in notions of nostalgia. Handcrafts and quilting are gaining in popularity. The “hipster” movement pulls much of its style from vintage clothing and look. We have all become so embalmed in electronic media and culture that people are returning to the notions of a “simpler” time as a form of escapism, or if the trend continues and grows, rejection of aspects of a digital movement . Books remain a steady bulwark against the damaging effects of technology by acting as a familiar comfort, and storing valuable information in a time- tested format. If these nostalgically rooted trends turn out to be fads, then books can at the very least see a revival in popularity as analog alternatives.

To date libraries are still weeding their collections at full speed. They know the points mentioned above. Nothing particularly new has graced this article that hasn’t come up in some form or another in professional information literature. Ultimately however, whether or not books stay or go is reliant upon the community they serve. The more the community makes known that they desire a rich selection of diverse physical resources, the easier it will be for librarians to justify keeping them in an age of competing information sources.

© 2008 Adam Brennan

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