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The new Sunday Library=Borders!

Posted by holli buchter on August 5, 2007 at 12:37pm

Since funding is so low in Longmont and the surrounding cities, people are flocking to the local Borders to get their reading fix as well as their gourmet coffee fix. I know this is nothing knew, but for some reason I find this depressing today. How many of these people would be at their local library if they had the opportunity? Why should they go? After all, Borders has all the new releases in virtually unlimited supply. People were sitting in the cafe doing research, the same type of research that is typically done with the assistance of a librarian! How necessary are we? Are they finding the information they need at the time they need it? Probably a good percentage of them are doing just that. Someone, anyone please tell me that all the time and money I spent on this degree was not a total waste of time and lost hours upon hours of sleep.

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Comments

Kimberly Brosan August 6, 2007 at 7:21am

I believe that unsold titles can be returned to the publisher for credit, so the bookstore has nothing to lose and everything to gain by having people come in and browse (and buy). They surely make more profit (percentage-wise) on their coffee shop than they do on books.
holli buchter August 6, 2007 at 6:03am

They reshelved huge piles of books from the cafe while I was there. They did not seem to mind. I bet they sell more than they reshelve.
Sandra Carswell August 6, 2007 at 5:30am

I'm just wondering what the book store thinks about their customers using their books for research and then putting them back on the shelves and not purchasing anything more than coffee? How long will it take before their new books are considered used?
Connie Masson August 5, 2007 at 2:38pm

Well, the Longmont Public Library is not open in the summer on Sundays. Here are their hours.
Regular Hours - Labor Day to Memorial Day:
Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Summer Hours - Memorial Day to Labor Day:
Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday Closed

I glad kids have an additional source for reading. It is the library for my kids because it is so close and they can get their own their own quickly.

Many libraries are considering changing their system to match that of books stores and Amazon to be more marketing oriented.

This does not mean the libraries aren't busy. I think they are always a hub of activity when I am there. Perhaps we just have a larger populations and geographic issues than in the past. And people go where it works best for them.

School libraries have starting offering latte cafes. Maybe the public library should let a starbucks open in it? ? ? ?