A Paris Hilton autobiography? The film Jackass Number Two? Are those what libraries should be stocking up on? Some librarians and parents in Sacramento are fighting a plan for local libraries to reduce emphasis on books of lasting value and play up pop-style items (via LISNews). Another part of the plan would give libraries a store-like feel.
E-books are hardly a panacea, but with their lower costs, they could at least reduce the conflict between the “pop” and “serious” factions. The key is balance. My own fear is that multimedia will increasingly divert money from books. A Sac library employee named Diane Boerman put it well: “The library should keep up with the changes, but not at the expense of the written word.”
Thought: Actually I can see some value in the likes of the Hilton book if it drives people to use e- and p-libraries and read other titles. Paris is a walking, breathing collection of problems ranging from anorexia to inept parenting—great link fodder. Meanwhile I’ll happily use the photo and tag to help lure her fans to the world of e-books.
Related TeleBlog item: E-books and The Great Weed in Fairfax County, VA: ‘Hello, Grisham—So Long, Hemingway?’
Other library-related links of interest: Google Print doesn’t do exclusive deals with libraries, but still holds the public domain tight to its chest (Boing Boing), Google to Scan 800,000 Manuscripts, Books from Indian University (Ars Technica), Museums and Misleading ‘Copyright’ (P2Pnet and New Tool Screens Spam, Digitizes Books (CNet), via Charles W. Bailey‘s excellent DigitalKoans blog).
