Friday, April 3, 2009

Barnes & Nobel, Barns & Noble (for Barnes & Noble)

Many articles in professional library publications have extolled and/or condemned the implementation of the retail bookstore (i.e. Barnes & Noble) business model for libraries. For a library that chooses this model of service, this entails keeping abreast of the latest consumer trends and technology, with an emphasis on the new. However, 9 out of 10 bibliophiles agree that nothing beats the charm and of a well-worn, well-loved book--books that “[fall] open at the most delightful places as the ghost of its former owner points me to things I’ve never read before.” These books are reportedly found in lovely smelling book shops or libraries that “[combine] must and dust and age, and walls of wood and floors of wood.”

Barnes & Nobel appears 15 times in OhioLINK, and was in high probability at the time it was added to the Ballard List. Barns & Noble is a low probability typo, and appears 7 times in OhioLink.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katherineofchicago/2866842966

Excerpts from: Hanff, Helene. 84, Charing Cross Road. New York: Penguin, 1990.


Janelle Fore

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