From Publishers Weekly:
The value of public libraries is rarely questioned in times of crisis—think of the New Orleans Public Library after Hurricane Katrina, or the Ferguson Municipal Public Library during the unrest there. But this crisis—more specifically, the social distancing required to address this crisis—strikes at the very foundation on which the modern public library rests. And as the days go by, I find myself increasingly concerned about how libraries come back from these closures.
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For one, I suspect that Covid-19 will change some people’s perspective on what can and should be shared. I fear many people will begin to overthink materials handling and the circulation of physical library collections, including books. It’s a reasonable assumption that people will emerge from this public health crisis with a heightened sense of risk related to germ exposure. How many of our patrons—particularly those with means—will begin to question the safety of borrowing books and other items from the library?
In terms of our buildings, open access for everyone has long been a celebrated library value. Public libraries have evolved, survived, and have even managed to thrive through a digital transformation by reconfiguring our spaces to be more social, more functional, and by offering more programs and classes. Can we maintain that in an age of social distancing? Will libraries need to supply gloves for shared keyboards? Will parents and caregivers still want to bring their children to a “Baby and Me” program? Will seniors still find respite in a library community?
I question, above all, what this crisis will mean for the library/publisher relationship. With library buildings closed, and many librarians furloughed, how will public libraries continue to lead on book and author discovery? A number of librarians have taken to hosting Zoom chats. But with many library websites being refreshed less frequently, combined with canceled author tours and a diluted publishing schedule during the crisis, it is increasingly challenging for librarians to get out front about new books and authors.
Discovery of new books and authors will be also be impacted by the cancellations of the ALA Annual Conference, and BookExpo. These events have become premier opportunities for publishers to reach book-savvy librarians to encourage displays, hand-selling, social media, online reviews and author visits at local libraries around the country, in hopes that excited librarians will contribute to the making of a bestseller.
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In terms of maintaining strong collections, many libraries have suspended purchases of print titles while they are closed during the crisis. This could have major implications going forward. How many libraries will be able to double back at some point to buy copies of print books published during the crisis for their collections? And, of course, without the proper logistic systems in place, some titles might not even appear in a library’s catalog.
Predictably, e-books, digital audio, and other streaming services have become essential during this crisis. OverDrive has reported a surge in the number of libraries now offering instant library cards, and a massive increase in books borrowed. In the last week of March, after stay-at-home orders went in place around the country, an astonishing 250,000 readers installed OverDrive’s Libby app.
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The shift to digital may also blur the boundaries of public library systems. After all, if your e-books and digital audio comes through an app, why does it matter where you live? Will the sudden digital switch entice more libraries to merge collection development dollars in an effort to provide more access and shorter wait times? These are the kinds of questions that could further complicate an already tense relationship between the library and publishing communities.
Link to the rest at Publishers Weekly
PG notes that at least some states have established what amounts to a single state-wide ebook library. Regardless of where a patron resides, she/he can access any ebook in the state system.
PG grew up living outside of a series of small towns (Sometimes very small – there were 22 students in his graduating class in high school and it was not the smallest school he attended) that were not close to a major city. In some cases, he pretty much read all the books of interest to him in local library. Fortunately, his interests changed on a regular basis, so he could sometimes find books to match a new interest.
Under those circumstances (assuming internet access would have possible, at least intermittently), PG would have loved to have had the wide variety of ebooks available in a state library system.