rsfcommonplace:oldshrewsburyian:coreypress:Keep Libraries Weird - Hand carved double block print to
rsfcommonplace:oldshrewsburyian:coreypress:Keep Libraries Weird - Hand carved double block print to wood by Drew Meger in Salem, MA.I’m giving a talk in the fall to a bunch of librarians where I am going to plead with them to keep their libraries weird. I’ve noticed a trend of late where the strange fringe books are being weeded but not replaced. I get it - if you think you can get 10x the circulation from a seventh copy of a James Patterson book than a single copy of a UFO or cryptid book then it’s hard not to go with still yet more Alex Cross.The effect of this is a homogenization of libraries - we already see this as librarians chase best practices and slowly convert libraries to a more retail feeling environment. Fringe stuff, weird stuff is nowhere near as popular as mainstream materials by definition and we do have to make every budget dollar count. Still, shouldn’t libraries seek to inspire wonder? A few curated weird books is all I ask. Maybe focus on local legends, hauntings, UFO sightings, or whatever floats your boat. Keep your library unique to your community.Keep it weird!If you have any stories about the weird and inspiring things you’ve discovered in a library, please share them!Especially as someone who has to move around a lot, I love local-interest and local history shelves in libraries, or even themed shelves that tell me a bit more about the community I’ve landed in. A prominent display of carefully curated mystery novels? I have come among my people! Hauntings of Pennsylvania? Cool, maybe I’ll get out and see some ghosts on the weekends. Books about local wineries and cycling trails? Historical fiction set in the region? All great!Speaking as someone who is pressured to weed books constantly, the key thing you can do to keep your libraries weird is to borrow the strange books. One night of being borrowed saves that bit of weirdness for another three years. And hopefully at some point the fad of treating collections like popularity contests will go away. -- source link
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