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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!


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