LM_NET: Library Media Networking
In what way should the library be more like BN? Cushy chairs, long hours,
coffee bar, keeping books you paid for...? I liked the "cash register"
response! And who is asking - students, faculty, parents...? I think the
responses could vary, depending on the situation.
Cushy chairs - who's paying for them?
Long hours - who's paying for staff?
Coffee bar - who's paying for supplies and cleaning so we don't get pests
and stains on our books?
Keeping books - Are you going to pay for every book you want? You already
do
that when you lose a book or damage it.
-----
I was asked that in a recent position interview. I bit my tongue to stop
from asking if they wanted little low tables for the kids to put their feet
on while sitting in uncomfortable chairs....
I also almost mentioned that they seem to only carry the 'popular'
classics,
the Hardy, Bronte, Austen sections has all the ones that were made into
movies.
Could you develop a library newsletter and charge a subscription? then
offer offer subscribers the ability to checkout 2 more books than regular
patrons?
In reality, I think it started out as a metaphor for the difference between
traditional bookstores and BN's marketing ploy of being a bit more spread
out (most likely to a density that is market research driven) and a bit
more
upscale. Which is odd because I remember when the BN catalog came full of
remainders and cheap bookshelves.....
------
I think Barnes and Noble should be more like the library... I go crazy
because their stock is not in Dewey order, so it is harder to find
anything. You have to guess if something fits into one of their
categories,
which is not always so simple. Also, they will not let you get on their
computers to see if they might have what you are looking at, and so you
have
to get a salesperson, and then hope that the salesperson has good searching
skills. I often have to tell them what to look under. It would be so much
easier if they would let me do it myself, but they won't even let me look
at
the darn screen!
I think the person is probably thinking of the ambience of B&N, which is
very nice. You know, the chairs, the coffee shop, the soft music, etc.
Maybe that is something we can do more of, except that students sometimes
get too casual if the environment gets too casual and then you can have
chaos--I guess it depends on the school, though.
---
Perhaps the answer is to ask them what they mean by that? Not hostiley
(sp?) but in a truly inquiring way - maybe they want something simple
like coffee or change in lighting or soft chairs..... or maybe they want
to buy books :)))) or maybe they wish there was more help. Who knows
what they mean by that question?????
----
Barnes and Noble is a business selling books, while a library is an agency
providing information free of charge to it's patrons. They have different
purposes and different needs.
----
I think our mission is quite different from Barnes and Noble. School
Libraries exist to supplement the curriculum and encourage reading.
Barnes and Noble's mission is to sell merchandise.
---
"In theory, there isn't any difference between theory and practice. In
practice, there is." - Yogi Berra
Mrs. Carolyn Gierke, Librarian
Sweet Home High School
1901 Sweet Home Road
Amherst, NY 14228
Phone: 1-716-250-1227
FAX: 1-716-250-1360
email: cgierke@shs.k12.ny.us
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