Re: Does free lead to paid?

[Sandy Thatcher <sgt3@psu.edu>]

Just speaking for myself, I can't recall ever not reading a book 
I checked out of a library (but then again I never checked many 
out), but I have a great many books I've purchased that I have 
yet to read. I suspect I'm not an outlier in this respect.


>Sandy,
>
>You are dodging the question.  Of course books are used inside 
>the library -- and of course in scholarship books have value 
>even if the are not read or consulted.  Librarians have also 
>studied the books that were placed in carts for reshelving by 
>patrons who did not check them out.  Add all this together and 
>you still have a great number of books that are never read.
>
>My point to Heather is not whether a book has value if it is not 
>read.  My point is simply that for many books, it is the 
>writing, not the reading, that is important.
>
>BTW, a show of hands, please, of all those who have checked out 
>books that they have never read?  This survey supplements the 
>one on this list last year of people who had purchased books 
>they never found time to read.
>
>Joe Esposito
>
>On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 5:59 PM, Sandy Thatcher <sgt3@psu.edu> wrote:
>
>>  Not circulating doesn't mean that they aren't read or
>>  otherwise consulted, however. I rarely took a book out of the
>>  library during my undergraduate days. I did most of my
>>  reading right there in the library. Remember that in those
>>  days many books were put on reserve and could not be checked
>>  out during their use for a course.
>>
>>>Heather,
>>>
>>>Is the important criterion that the book is read or that the 
>>>book is written? =A0If the former, what are we to do with the 
>>>many books that literally never circulate? You perhaps have 
>>>figures for your own institution that you would be willing to 
>>>share. Librarians I have spoken to tell me that there is a 
>>>large component of their collections of books that never 
>>>circulate.
>>>
>>>Joe Esposito