The Information Professional

By Kathleen Pierce:

"Town libraries are finding that adding a bookstore is a way to add revenue, and customers couldn’t be happier."

"It might seem incongruous that people would purchase books in a place where they’re accustomed to borrowing them for free. But in the past few years, a dozen or so libraries across the state have opened bookstores with dedicated staffs. In doing so, libraries have found a new source of income to finance programs.

Storage closets, refurbished basements, and forgotten areas of library buildings are now home to little shops with hundreds of used books, many of them in tiptop condition, available for sale. For less than the price of a shipping charge from Amazon, readers are helping their libraries buy museum passes, screen films, put on lectures, and offer other programs."