[Michlib-l] Help in getting comments to write a column about pleasure reading

[Robert P. Holley]

Dear Colleagues,


I'm asking for your help by providing comments about my perception on the lack of attention paid to the importance of pleasure reading in public libraries. I posted the following question to PUBLIB but received relatively few responses. I'm hoping that Michigan librarians can give me some additional viewpoints. I'd like to stress that you don't have to agree. I would, in fact, appreciate some counter arguments.


I have attached the full article if you wish to read it.


Perhaps it would be best to send comments to me directly rather than post them on the list unless others say they would like to see them.


Thanks for any help.


In teaching the introductory library science course at Wayne State for the fourth time, I was struck by the lack of attention paid to recreational reading in the course readings. The stress for all types of libraries, including public libraries, was finding information for users. While I know that recreational reading is technically information, I don't think that the authors were talking about access to genre fiction. The same was true for the history of the public library with an emphasis upon teaching immigrants how to adapt to American culture. Am I correct in my assumption that even the early public libraries provided fiction that their patrons wanted to read, perhaps even fiction from popular authors with less than high literary status? Finally, my overall impression is that publicity about the value of public libraries tends to focus on things like helping people to find jobs, overcoming the digital divide by providing people with Internet access, support for economic development, etc. I don't much remember public libraries' bragging about providing tons of best sellers and genre fiction to their users though they may brag about circulation in general.

I bring this up in part because I think that support for recreational reading is one of the reasons why the public library will not only survive but flourish. An average family of heavy readers would have trouble paying for the number of books that they wish to read unless they are happy enough with access to the free self-published materials available on many sites or with Project Gutenberg. Even this solution wouldn't work for acquiring quality materials to read in print before bed to younger children. Such a family can check out a hefty number of books, whether fiction or non-fiction, for their recreational/entertainment value. Many may not even have to use the catalog and other expensive information resources as they head to their familiar shelves, which may now be arranged in book store order.

I've always been an academic librarian so I'd appreciate any opinions on my thoughts above. I'm not sure whether other members of the list are interested in this issue or whether I should ask for comments to be sent directly to me. I plan to treat this topic in my next column for Against the Grain and would like to have a bit more authority in what I say.

Bob


Robert P. Holley

Professor Emeritus, Wayne State University

13303 Borgman Avenue

Huntington Woods, MI  48070-1005

email: aa3805 at wayne.edu

phone: 248-547-0306



________________________________
From: michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org <michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org> on behalf of Betsy Myers <mmyers at tadl.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 1, 2016 10:21 AM
To: michlib-l at mcls.org
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Books from Kits up for grabs

Elegance of a Hedgehog, Story of Beautiful Girl and Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Bel Canto and Shanghai Girls are all gone.  As well as one less on all the other titles.

--
Betsy Myers
Reference Department
Interlibrary Loan/Programming
Traverse Area District Library
610 Woodmere Ave
Traverse City, MI  49686
231 932-8502
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail3.mcls.org/pipermail/michlib-l/attachments/20160301/47b64ead/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Pleasure.Reading.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 187445 bytes
Desc: Pleasure.Reading.pdf
URL: <http://mail3.mcls.org/pipermail/michlib-l/attachments/20160301/47b64ead/attachment.pdf>