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Japan's book scene is moving from bookstores to libraries

241 points · 113 comments · herbertl

  1. akman · · focus · HN ↗
    As the author noted, I see libraries becoming more and more centers of community, notably in the Bay Area (California, USA). Just check out the events at all of the Santa Clara County library system (8 libraries that share books): <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;sccl.bibliocommons.com&#x2F;v2&#x2F;events?_gl=1*11u0hec*_ga*MTI0MTAxODk0NS4xNzg2NTEyMjY1*_ga_G99DMMNG39*czE3ODk1OTQ5MTMkbzMkZzAkdDE3ODk1OTQ5MTQkajU5JGwwJGgw*_ga_C5XQHLX1NN*czE3ODk1OTQ5MTMkbzMkZzAkdDE3ODk1OTQ5MTQkajU5JGwwJGgw*_ga_C79ES1D7Q4*czE3ODcyODU5NjUkbzIkZzAkdDE3ODcyODU5NjUkajYwJGwwJGgw" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;sccl.bibliocommons.com&#x2F;v2&#x2F;events?_gl=1*11u0hec*_ga*M...

    Many events aren&#x27;t even book related-- see events for Lego building, homework help, even Dungeons and Dragons events.

    I wonder if there&#x27;s a resurgence across the world where libraries are places of community sharing.

    1. trollbridge · · focus · HN ↗
      I see libraries throwing out large amounts of books, and then chasing non-book things that became laughably obsolete in a few years, such as:

      - audio books on little devices to plug headphones into, which have cheap rechargeable batteries that seem to be mostly dead - collections of children’s toys in a toy room that after a few years are missing most of their pieces - large collections of DVDs - computer labs full of computers that are old&#x2F;slow and then need all kinds of restrictions due to a handful of antisocial people using them for inappropriate things, leaving them nearly unusable for anyone else - fancy 3D printing labs containing hardware without enough volunteers to teach people how to use it, and with hardware going obsolete or unmaintained&#x2F;broken - a seed bank that had obviously not had any seed packets taken out in years

      My local library is eliminating a section of books in order to build a “sensory room”. Nothing against sensory rooms, but I’m not sure it was a good trade for yet another skip full of books. (There is a YMCA next door that would be a more appropriate place for a sensory room - and indeed it has one.)

      On a recent library trip, despite all that, the dehumidifier was not working and I saw signs of permanent humidity damage to books in the archive. This is the one thing libraries should be doing: preserving books.

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