Thursday, February 23, 2012

Who killed the bookstore?

Panoramic view of Plaza Books in Las Vegas (Photo by Patrick Morgan)

Jill Olsen, of the Antiquarian Book Lounge, posted a link on her facebook page that piqued my interest. Written by Jeremy Paul, dean of the School of Law at University of Connecticut, the article asked the same question as the title of this post: Who killed the bookstore, "After which he inserted a colon and added, "After all, it was you and me."

The theme of the article focused on the fact that as consumers we failed to support bookstores by searching for cheaper prices, thus supplanting a lifestyle that combines consumption and philanthropy.

It's the first part of that statement I found annoying and incorrect. To hell with lifestyle; if I can find a book I want at a cheaper price at Walmart, I'm using the extra money to buy another book! So, no, I did not kill the bookstore; I actually saved money, contributed to the economy, supported the print industry (now referred to as pBooks), and gave myself hours of entertainment and information.

Meanwhile, I also posted a comment on Dean Paul's blog: "Maybe Barnes and Noble and Borders killed the bookstore!"

BTW, I'm getting a little tired of the media blitz about the death of the bookstore and hoping someone more creative and innovative than I will stop rehashing this story and find solutions to saving an institution I think is worth saving.

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