Libraries can learn from bookstores. In an article in Library Administration and Management, William Sannwald promotes this idea. He recommends that librarians “visit bookstores and other retail spaces and observe what techniques work well. Try to understand what makes a retail space exciting and fun to visit, and how the library might use this.” He advises libraries to use what they can from bookstores’ techniques while stressing what makes the library unique. A bookstore clerk from North Carolina also agreed with the sentiment of libraries learning from bookstores in a 1998 issue of Library Journal where he pointed out what bookstores do well and where they fall short.
It will take a long time before most public libraries get coffee shops and couches, and it will take even longer for them to stay open the amount of hours that a bookstore can stay open. In the meantime, however, libraries continue to provide quality reference services and other programs for the community, as well as free books, periodicals, and audiovisual materials for library patrons.
References:
Coffman, S. “’And Now, a Word from our Sponsors...’: Alternative Funding for Libraries.” Searcher 8 (1) January 2000, p.51
Coffman, S. “What if you ran your library like a bookstore?” American Libraries 29, Mar 1998, p. 40-2
Raymond, J. “Librarians have little to fear from bookstores.” Library Journal 123 (15) Sept 15 1998, p. 41-2.
Sannwald, W. “Espresso and ambiance: what public libraries can learn from bookstores.” Library Administration and Management 12 (4) Fall 1998, p. 200-11
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