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I just read Doug Johnson's quote from the _Mankato Free Press_ of June 3 1996. He thought public libraries could learn a lot from B & N, like hours open- 96 a week including Sundays, cookies and coffee and more! Well I thought he (and you) might like to read about Barnes & Nobles recent fiscal loss- a mere 36.7 Million dollars in 1995- check in Publishers Weekly! But they don't seem to care- Paramount can absorb the loss. They are closing the smaller Mall stores- after crushing out the small independat book sellers. In 1992 Independent book stores sold 33% of the books in the US, for 1995 it's only 19%. The big guy came in and swallowed them whole, now the big ones leaving- and there's no one to fill the needs of the people! In comes the public library- as Doug and most people know, public libraries don't run on profit margins- losses or gains- but on public support through their taxes! Sure we could be open 95 hours a week, but no city of county can afford it! As for coffee and cookies- what a mess, I guess publishers will but back damaged books from B & N. If they did that for libraries- maybe we could have a Taco Bell, Baskin Robbins, Chilis, who knows! The possibilities of corporate sponsorship of libraries- McDonald's Public Library! I'm done, but I hope this makes you guys in schools think about the differences in libraries- school-public-private and RETAIL STORES! thanks, Kathy Ness Children's Programming Librarian Northfield Public Library Northfield, Minnesota and a grad student at MSU- yes I had Doug as a sub winter quarter!