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Japan's book scene is moving from bookstores to libraries

241 points · 113 comments · herbertl

  1. NeutralCrane · · focus · HN ↗
    The most interesting thing in the article to me is that there was a dual library/bookstore, and that it’s privately owned. I don’t think I’ve encountered a library that wasn’t publicly owned in the US.
    1. cwnyth · · focus · HN ↗
      In the US, private libraries tend to be non-circulating, archival, specialist, or owned by private schools.
    2. AraceliHarker · · focus · HN ↗
      Claiming Takeo City Library is a private operation is factually incorrect because it is strictly "publicly owned" by the city government. In fact, the city owns the land and building, and pays the private company, Culture Convenience Club (CCC), a management fee from local tax revenues to run the public library. Conversely, CCC pays monthly rent to the city to operate the Starbucks and bookstore inside. Since the entire facility is publicly owned and funded by taxpayers, CCC has zero ownership and is merely a contracted operator.
    3. alephnerd · · focus · HN ↗
      > The most interesting thing in the article to me is that there was a dual library/bookstore...

      At least in California, libraries often have a community run used bookstore whose proceeds are used to help the library run community programming.

      1. trollbridge · · focus · HN ↗
        Around here the library sales are often $5 per box of books. Sometimes you can bid on an entire dumpster load.
    4. [deleted] · · focus · HN ↗

      [deleted]

    5. rafram · · focus · HN ↗
      None of the libraries in New York City are publicly owned. NYPL, BPL, and QPL are all private nonprofits that receive public funding. It’s an odd arrangement.
    6. trollbridge · · focus · HN ↗
      They are common here. Membership is usually a dollar or two a month. Members store their books their on a kind of permanent loan so they don’t have to store so many books in their house. It’s unstaffed and just run by its members, and members replace any books they lose.

      There is a private engineering library I visited in TN (anyone can drop in during business hours) that aims to preserve books that engineers used before everything became computer assisted.

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