Publishers and librarians

I often wonder why we aren't better connected; God knows we are working towards the same general goals (although often very different bottom lines!)

Now, here is a great, thoughtful article (accompanied by storybook-style profiles of your average publisher and librarian) from Library Journal, by librarian and mystery writer Barbara Finter. And I quote:

"Though publishing and librarianship may have different cultures, we have a common goal. S.R. Ranganathan put it in a nutshell with two of his famous rules: every reader his book; every book its reader. In an era when publishing opportunities have proliferated and the number of titles being published has skyrocketed, libraries rely on professionals who can do the painstaking work of developing quality books. In turn, publishers need librarians, who help spark a love of reading among children, sustain it through the stages of life, and know what's important to readers.

Though book sales have slumped in recent months, library circulation is soaring. If publishers didn't get the importance of libraries before, now's the time to get the message, because it's in libraries that book culture will be sustained through these hard times."