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Book Report: What Public Libraries Buy and How Much They Spend.

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Title: Book Report: What Public Libraries Buy and How Much They Spend.
Language: English
Authors: Hoffert, Barbara
Source: Library Journal. Feb 15 1998 123(3):106-110.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 5
Publication Date: 1998
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Adults, Books, Fiction, Library Circulation, Library Collection Development, Library Expenditures, Library Statistics, Library Surveys, Literary Genres, Nonfiction, Public Libraries, Purchasing, User Needs (Information), Weeding (Library)
ISSN: 0363-0277
Abstract: A Library Journal survey of 2000 public libraries investigated adult book expenditures and circulation. This article presents statistics on purchasing power and circulation, sources used for purchasing decisions, where books are purchased, top circulating genres, topics of increased patron and librarian interest, topics being weeded and replaced, and top circulating adult fiction and nonfiction titles. (PEN)
Entry Date: 1998
Accession Number: EJ561556
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0000232677;lij15feb.98;2003Jul01.14:56;v2.1</anid> <jsection id="AN0000232677-1"> Library Journal Survey Buying the Book 98</jsection> <title id="AN0000232677-2">Book Report: What Public Libraries Buy and How Much They Spend </title> <p>BOOK SELECTION IS an art, not a science," insists Karl Helicher, longtime LJ reviewer and director of the Upper Merion Township Library, King of Prussia, PA--and he's right. Even if you have a reliable means of tracking circulation for your adult book collections, even if you respond to patron requests, even if you check your demographics and draw up collection profiles, there's still no way of telling exactly which books will be flying off the shelves.</p> <p>Still, some books do fly off the shelves faster than others, and some areas do get more traffic or require constant upgrading, and it would be instructive to know which ones. Last fall, LJ launched an adult book buying survey of 2000 U.S. public libraries to ferret out such information, with two constituencies in mind.</p> <p>First, we wanted to help librarians measure their adult book budgets, expenditures, buying patterns, and circulation against comparable libraries. Ever wonder how your book budget stacks up? Whether your seemingly out-of-sight circulation on travel books is out of sight for other libraries of your size? Whether you are buying as many copies of Grisham or Steel as your colleagues? That information, and more, is furnished by this survey.</p> <p>Second, we wanted to give publishers more concrete information on the adult book market in public libraries. Publishers are forever asking us how much libraries are spending and what they are buying. Tell a group of publishers that the 510 libraries that responded to our survey spent a projected $1.9 million on mysteries alone, and they will definitely take notice. In fact, spending among libraries (public, academic, school, special) has been estimated at nearly $2 billion.</p> <p>Completing this survey was a challenge for many librarians; not all of them could answer every question on adult book expenditures and circulation, and in some cases they gave estimates. But their anecdotal answers were often as insightful as any hard facts. In the end, this survey should provide a broad overview of the combined purchasing power our nation's 15,000 public libraries have today.</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-3">What Libraries Spend</hd> <p>Last year, libraries serving populations over 500,000 spent on average nearly $1.3 million each on adult books, allocating nearly $168,067 to popular fiction and another $78,324 to mysteries. Even the smallest libraries, those serving populations under 10,000, laid out on average $2,396 for popular fiction--and hundreds for computer books. And libraries serving communities of 100,000 plus spent on average over $11,000 on health/medicine, over $8000 each on art and travel, and over $7000 each on science and social science. Impressive figures indeed.</p> <p>This data and more, gleaned from LJ's recent survey on adult book buying patterns, show that while U.S. public libraries may not have money to burn, they do spend a substantial amount on books each year--and with adult circulation up 63% overall they could be spending even more. True, there are some dark spots on the horizon; some libraries say that they have barely enough to make core purchases, and one large regional library in the Midwest reported having a materials budget of only $800. But other libraries in its league reported healthy materials budgets averaging around $1 million and ranging on up to $2.7 million.</p> <p>Furthermore, over half the libraries surveyed (56%) reported an increase in total operating budget, with 35% reporting no change and only 9% suffering a reduction. Overall, budgets increased by an average of 7%. For many librarians, the real challenge was not scraping together the money for books but finding ways to dole it all out. As Karen Burton (Weber Cty. PL, Ogden, UT) noted at a collection management session at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting, "I've got more money than I can spend wisely."</p> <hd1 id="AN0000232677-4"> To replace or not </hd1> <p>The lion's share of any library's book budget goes to current titles, with an average of about 14% spent on backlist titles. Allocations for replacement copies are even smaller. While one library indicated that more than 30% of its book budget was allocated for replacement copies, most respondents made do with well under 10%, and some libraries have no replacement budgets at all. "We have no separate allocations for replacements," says Detroit PL's Nancy Skowronski, "and the branch libraries scream. Weekly or monthly trips to Borders for paperbacks have made a difference in patron and staff satisfaction."</p> <p>Given the need for constant updating to collections in health/medicine, sci-tech, computer science, and travel (all popular areas mentioned for weeding and/or replacement), it seems surprising that only about two-thirds of our respondents reported weeding/replacing at all. But when they do weed/replace, libraries said they often rotate through the collection, doing a few sections a year (particularly those noted above), or focus on pertinent collections, e.g., African American or spirituality, as community demand warrants.</p> <p>Are book budgets being eroded by the escalating demand for electronic materials? Some librarians say yes, others say no. "Electronic resources are taken off the top of the budget, and we end up spending less on books," says Geneva Pullen (Lexington PL, KY). But Gianna Miles (Broward Cty. PL, FL) counters that while her library's allocations for electronic materials are "significant and growing, we have not found that the book budget is being eaten up. We still have plenty of money for books."</p> <p>Plenty of money for books--that is the note struck cautiously but hopefully by many of the librarians LJ surveyed. Libraries seem to be pulling out of the dark shadows cast in the early 1990s, when book budgets tumbled almost across the board. But if librarians have more to spend on books, it's also because of a greater effort to streamline and economize on the selection and purchasing processes. Now, how you spend is as big a part of the story as how much.</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-5">Attention, Publishers: Library Budgets Are Rising, Not Falling</hd> <p>Material budgets, generally 16% of a library's total operating budget, increased by an average of 7% in 1997. Fully 56% of our sample reported an increase; only 9% reported a decrease.</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-6">Our Sample</hd> <p>LJ's Adult Book Buying Survey of U.S. public libraries was conducted among a sample of 2000 libraries selected on the nth basis from the American Library Directory. A total of 510 libraries completed the questionnaire for a response rate of 26%. The figures are by no means comprehensive and represent a snapshot of budgets and circulation. We welcome your suggestions for future surveys and thank our respondents.</p> <p> <bold> Geographic Location </bold> West North Central 10%</p> <p>East North Central 22%</p> <p>New England 9%</p> <p>Middle Atlantic 13%</p> <p>South Atlantic 12%</p> <p>East South Central 6%</p> <p>West South Central 9%</p> <p>Pacific 11%</p> <p>Mountain 8%</p> <p> <bold> Respondent Breakdown </bold> 3% Systems</p> <ulist> <item>4% Branch PLs</item> <item>93% Main PLs</item> </ulist> <p> <bold> Area Descriptions 30% City/Urban 33% Suburban 37% Rural </bold> SOURCE: LJ BOOK BUYING SURVEY, 1997</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-7">How Libraries Buy</hd> <p>To get a bigger bang for their budgetary bucks, librarians are finding new ways to make book selection more efficient. For many (over half those surveyed), that means opting for centralized selection. For instance, the Detroit PL recently dumped a cumbersome system of farming out books to selectors who then drew up lists of what would be made available for staff review. Now, only department heads or their delegates pick books, which has resulted in greater discounts, because of consolidation, and, with a switch to Brodart's Tips Plus, greater speed in getting books into the branches. This kind of approach, notes Julie Pringle (Fairfax Cty. PL, VA), another strongly centralized system, allows for a good "system perspective."</p> <p>But centralization doesn't work everywhere; some systems, like the San Diego Cty. Lib., cry out for more heterogeneous treatment. "We are more like a federation of communities, 11 corporated and 18 unincorporated," explains Betty Waznis, supervising librarian, technical services, "and so it is better to have a sense of local control. Besides, centralization seems to work best where budgets are big enough that selectors say they can get everything they want. We have to choose, and we hate to have someone else doing it." Waznis adds that with a "good, efficient crew" and no bureaucracy to buck, San Diego's decentralized system runs quite smoothly.</p> <p> <bold> Different strokes </bold> Ultimately, selecting books means striking a balance between achieving greater efficiency and meeting local needs, resulting in hybrid systems that differ from library to library. Even as commitedly centralized a system as Fairfax has branch staff fill out subject cards, "a filtered way of getting at what people want," notes Pringle. At the centralized Chesterfield Cty. PL, VA, "branch libraries get eight cards a month in different areas, so we can order what was overlooked," says Ann Theis, who also relies on demographics and collection profiles.</p> <p>At the Central Arkansas Lib. System in Little Rock, explains Jennifer Chilcoat, special assistant to the director, branch managers used to make the selections, "but we hated seeing each and every one of them do everything, and they weren't always working in their area of expertise." Now, committees responsible for just two or three branches make selections in reference, adult fiction, adult nonfiction, or juvenile literature. The Flint PL, MI, instead relies on 15 librarians at the main library, explains Tom Powers, head of adult services. "Each is responsible for some segment of the Dewey system and for developing the depth and breadth of his or her particular portfolio."</p> <p>After years of wrangling about book selection, reports Miles, a task force at the Broward Cty. PL finally concluded that "different methods work best for different subjects. AV is now centralized, as is children's literature." The Gary PL, IN, remains resolutely decentralized but gladly subscribes to Baker & Taylor Express to get best sellers for all the branches. And though the Pierce Cty. Lib., Tacoma, WA, was one of the few libraries to cite local interest first as a reason for picking new authors, collection management coordinator Sharon Ufer is still considering farming out "manageable chunks of the collection" to various vendors because "to survive we need some plans offering good shortcuts." Although a far cry from full-scale outsourcing, endorsed by virtually none of our respondents, such plans can make the selector's day a lot easier-- which probably explains why, for instance, nearly half the libraries surveyed use some sort of automatic shipment plan.</p> <hd1 id="AN0000232677-8"> Making the purchase </hd1> <p>Surprisingly, with more and more librarians telling LJ that they are turning to advertisements, annotated listings, and other prepublication sources for information, trade reviews are still the source consulted most often when it comes to actually deciding what books to buy (for more on this, see "Reading the Reviews," Inside Track, p. 127). Not so surprisingly, patron requests run a close second. Chesterfield Cty. PL, VA, gets "hundreds of requests a month," notes Neal Wyatt, who supervises nonfiction, and Ufer notes that patrons often call her with requests ("Is this a trend?" she asks a little desperately). Certainly, there are "patrons who serve as bellwethers for what's going to be hot," says Beth Mason, Wilton Library Association, CT, and Jeanne Rice (Tomah PL, WI) concludes, "I've made mistakes ordering books, but for patron requests I'm never sorry."</p> <p>The overwhelming majority of libraries still purchase through and when they do buy direct, it is because certain publishers are unavailable elsewhere. But a few libraries are more venturesome. For instance, Pat Llerandi, head of adult services at Schaumberg Township District Lib., IL, participates in nearly two dozen publisher automatic shipment programs, e.g., blanket-order plans much like Greenaways that net her one copy each of everything the publisher (e.g., Random, Rodale, Time-Life, Oxmoor, and GK Hall) produces. "I pick up I know that I want anyway, and anything inappropriate for the collection becomes a bingo prize," she says. Llerandi also gets up to 70% discounts, saving herself time and money in the bargain. Buying direct from publishers does require sizable orders, and programs like those Llerandi uses mig not be for everyone, but there's no doubt that librarians are seeking greater efficiency in purchasing books.</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-9">Book Selection Goes Central</hd> <p>More than half the libraries sampled by LJ (54%) use centralized book selection with the largest and somewhat more likely to purchase this way. A large majority (77%) that use centralized selection do so for all books.</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-10">Getting by with a little Help from Some Friends</hd> <p>Percentage of libraries serving populations under 10,000 using standing order plans: 60%</p> <p>Percentage of libraries serving populations over 100,000 using standing order plans: 95%</p> <p>Most popular selection programs:</p> <ulist> <item> Thorndike Large Print 44%</item> <item> GK Hall Large Type '116%</item> </ulist> <p>Most popular automatic shipment programs:</p> <ulist> <item> Oprah's Book Club 40%</item> <item> Best-Selling Authors* 31%</item> <item> Mass Market* 29%</item> </ulist> <p>*These programs are available through major wholesalers such as Baker & Taylor, Brodart, and Ingram.</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-11">What Libraries Buy</hd> <p>To know what books to select, it certainly helps to know what people are reading, and some librarians have taken to monitoring circulation carefully to find out. "Now that we are automated, we can tell what people are taking out and respond more quickly to areas of high interest," observed Chilcoat, who points out that (not coincidentally) her library in Little Rock, AK--population 300,000---just topped one million annual circs for the fast time. By responding to our survey, librarians who do monitor circulation were able to give us a good picture of the reading habits of America's library patrons.</p> <p>It's hardly surprising that, nationwide, popular fiction circulates best. But who could guess that art books, including the craft, decorative art, how to-draw, and other works that count as illustrated books, are often several times more likely to circulate than computer and internet books, the hottest new category? Science is gaining momentum, and as HMOs, aging baby boomers, and their aging parents loom larger, health/medicine has reached full throttle. "I have a theory that as doctors rush their patients through treatment, our collection is feeling the pressure," notes Fairfax's Pringle.</p> <p>Mystery reigns as genre king, with romance a strong second, and Christian fiction is obviously making inroads everywhere-we didn't even include it in the question on circulation, but many librarians wrote it in, also telling us that they needed more information on the genre. Religious nonfiction does well in many libraries, perhaps because of its very diversity. "I have a very spiritual group, reading things analogous to Christian fiction, and then a community into New Age," explains Virginian Wyatt. Many librarians find themselves serving mainstream congregants, fundamentalists, and, in this country of immigrants, adherents to non-Western traditions all at once.</p> <p>Economics draws less attention than religion, but personal finance is quite popular, especially in libraries serving communities with investors or retirees, and patrons are showing more interest in books on careers, small business, and job empowerment. Law, it seems, is best left to the lawyers. But travel appeals to everyone, perhaps because it offers something for everyone: "We put European travel in the more affluent branches and regional travel in less affluent ones," says Chilcoat. Social science is another top contender "which sort of surprised me," said one librarian, marveling at her own figures---and while biography doesn't beat out history in terms of circulation, 98% of our respondents said they bought it, more than any other category, including popular fiction.</p> <hd1 id="AN0000232677-12"> Local interest </hd1> <p>Of course, regional differences do count. "People like things that take place in the Midwest, which they can identify with," observes Beth Postema of the Fargo PL, ND. "Short story collections from New Yorker writers don't go over here." But such differences show up less than one would expect. "There's really been an evening out," concludes San Diego's Waznis. "With the virtual workplace a reality, people can live anywhere"---erasing distinctions that once set off North from South and East from West.</p> <p>Ultimately, what makes the greatest difference in circulation figures is not national or regional factors but local ones: the particular interests of a community combined with the efforts of particular librarians to build a good collection. It is local interest that makes Philip Roth's Sabbath Theater (Houghton) circulate as well as Danielle Steel's Wings (Delacorte) in Gary, IN, and Arundhathi Roy and Chitra Banerjee Divakarumi as big as Charles Frazier in Berkeley, CA. It is local interest that makes Maeve Binchy a top-circulating author in Kinnelon, NJ, and leads librarians in one Virginia town to buy multiple copies of Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage (S. & S.) and Robert H. Bork's Slouching Towards Gomorrah (HarperCollins). (In nonfiction overall, most librarians generally reported buying multiple copies of tax books, test books, and self-help manuals.)</p> <p>And it is local interest that makes African Americans Connie Briscoe and Tina McElroy Ansa stars in some communities, leads one Missouri librarian to buy extra copies of old-time movie star biographies, and has created a demand for literary fiction at the Pierce Cty. Lib. in Tacoma. Such fiction thrives in pockets (14% of our respondents said they stick to best-selling or popular fiction), and one might not expect it to do so well in rural Pierce County. But as Seattle writers spill into the county, they are generating local enthusiasm and pride.</p> <p>Yet local interest doesn't explain everything. "Why is our art book circulation seven times that of computer books? I'll tell you," says Flint (MI) PL's Powers. "The person who handled art books for 25 years built an incredibly fine collection, and his legacy lives on. Anyone in the three-county area looking for art books comes to us. I point this out to young librarians when they come here, telling them, 'What you do has that much impact.'"</p> <p>Art circulates well in Flint, because that librarian made it circulate well. Similarly, Powers used a $20,000 federal grant to refurbish the medical collection, which he says has helped build circulation. Explaining why science circulates so well at the Central Arkansas Lib. System, Chilcoat observes, "We had read a lot about the feminization of the library and made a conscious effort to have more books appealing to men. Now, we find books on algorithms really going out."</p> <p>Paying attention to what patrons are reading seems a wise course: don't push New Yorker stories in North Dakota, and buy all the latest on algorithms in Little Rock. But there's a lesson here. Buying simply to satisfy current reading tastes isn't enough: there's plenty that patrons don't even know they want until libraries put it on the shelves, and quality circulates. Build a good collection, and they will come.</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-13">Not So Hard</hd> <p>While public libraries in LJ's sample still devote most of their book budgets to hardcovers {78%}, trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks take fully 15% and 7% of their budgets, respectively.</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-14">Topics on the Move:</hd> <p>Most Reported Areas...</p> <hd1 id="AN0000232677-15"> Of Increased 57% Patron Computer/Internet Interest* </hd1> <p>How-to 19%</p> <p>Computer/Internet 57%</p> <p>Health/Medical 48%</p> <p>Personal Finance/Investments 23%</p> <p>Christian Fiction 19%</p> <p>*Respondents were able to check more than one area, so figures add up to more than 100%</p> <hd1 id="AN0000232677-16"> Where Librarians Are Looking for More Information </hd1> <p>Science/Technology/Math 37%</p> <p>Computers 19%</p> <p>Medical/Health/Alternative Health</p> <hd1 id="AN0000232677-17"> For Weeding/Replacement </hd1> <p>Medicine 24%</p> <p>Science/Technology 22%</p> <p>Adult Fiction 20%</p> <p>Computer 18%</p> <p>Travel 17%</p> <p>SOURCE: LJ BOOK BUYING SURVEY, 1997</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-18">Breaking Down Genre Fiction</hd> <p>Percentage each genre represents of total genre fiction expenditures</p> <ulist> <item>38% Mystery</item> <item>22% Romance</item> <item>12% Science fiction/Fantasy</item> <item>9% Horror</item> <item>8% Christian Fiction</item> <item>8% Western</item> <item>3% Other</item> </ulist> <p>SOURCE: LJ BOOK BUYING SURVEY, 1997</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-19">Purchasing Power/Circulation Profile</hd> <p>Average findings based on population served, 1997</p> <ct id="AN0000232677-20"> [A] [B] [C] [D] Average Average Average # Average Expenditure, Materials of Adult Titles: Adult Adult Books* Budget Purchased* Circulation* Population Served [A] [B] [C] [D] Under 10,000 $11,350 $19,270 861 28,100 10,000-24,999 30,350 54,110 2,127 81,300 25,000-49,999 82,160 134,910 3,868 159,100 50,000-99,999 112,090 207,350 7,444 295,400 100,000-499,999 331,420 612,460 13,700 709,100 500,000 and up 1,279,000 2,735,420 31,420 2,811,300</ct> <p>*Excluding children's/YA circulation and reference.</p> <p>SOURCE: LJ BOOK BUYING SURVEY, 1997</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-21">Where Books Are Purchased</hd> <p>Average percentage of all books purchased through individual sources</p> <ct id="AN0000232677-22"> [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] Wholesalers/ Direct Small Press Book- Online Jobbers from Pub. Distrib. stores Stores Population Served [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] Under 10,000 78 8 4 8 2 10,000-24,999 85 7 5 3 - 25,000-49,999 85 8 4 3 - 50,000-99,999 84 10 4 2 - 100,000-49,999 83 9 6 2 - 500,000 and up 74 14 8 4 - All Respondents 82 9 5 3 2</ct> <p>SOURCE: LJ BOOK BUYING SURVEY, 1997</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-23">Sources Used Most for Adult Book Purchasing Decisions</hd> <ct id="AN0000232677-24"> Source Percentage Reviews in Trade Journals 96% Patron Request 89% Best Sellers Lists in Trade Journals 74% Consumer Media 68% Publishers' catalogs 65% Wholesaler/Distributor Catalogs 56% Word of Mouth 54% Wholesaler/distributor Rep Visits 33% Publishers Rep Visits 27% Specialty Newsletters 18% Online Book Retailers 17% Telemarketing 11% Publishers' Web sites 10%</ct> <p>SOURCE: LJ BOOK BUYING SURVEY, 1997</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-25">Top Circulating Categories, 1997: A Sampling</hd> <p>Average circulation figures</p> <ct id="AN0000232677-26"> Population Popular Served Fiction Mystery Romance History Art Under 10,000 9,168 2,560 2,090 1,149 901 10,000-24,999 18,680 6,471 1,041 2,574 2,464 25,000-49,999 29,638 11,857 7,010 4,816 4,484 50,000-99,999 42,100 17,726 10,454 9,923 8,465 100,000-49,999 82,106 41,059 35,913 19,587 18,510 500,000 and up 110,890 99,990 36,000 68,096 65,596</ct> <hd id="AN0000232677-27">Sample Adult Book Expenditures, 1997'</hd> <ct id="AN0000232677-28"> Population Popular Medicine/ Served Fiction Health History Art Computer Under 10,000 $2,396 $555 $324 $904 $262 10,000-24,999 8,030 1,612 1,209 874 NA 25,000-49,999 13,845 3,961 3,732 4,208 1,298 50,000-99,999 15,711 4,790 NA NA 2,085 100,000-49,999 29,278 11,073 9,084 8,275 5,305 500,000 and up 168,087 85,997 52,460 19,580 42,113</ct> <hd id="AN0000232677-29"> Adult Book Expenditures, Fiction, 1997'</hd> <ct id="AN0000232677-30"> Population Science Other Served Mystery Romance Fiction Westerns Genre Under 10,000 $1,911 $1,560 $317 $1,228 NA 10,000-24,999 3,755 1,331 928 221 $1,326 25,000-49,999 6,510 3,318 1,262 930 1,825 50,000-99,999 NA 2,579 1,280 611 3,294 100,000-49,999 12,402 7,777 4,701 2,510 NA 500,000 and up 78,324 26,666 27,410 16,317 NA</ct> <p>These figures are based on a sampling of the full survey.</p> <p>SOURCE: LJ BOOK BUYING SURVEY, 1997</p> <hd id="AN0000232677-31">Top Circulating Adult Fiction</hd> <p>Percentage libraries reporting title as among the top five circulators, 1997</p> <ct id="AN0000232677-32"> Author/Title %Reporting Avg. Annual Circ. John Grisham, The Partner 36% 336 Mary Higgins Clark, Pretend You Don't See Her 21% 234 Danielle Steel, Ranch 19% 178 Patricia Cornwell, Unnatural Exposure 13% 87 Danielle Steel, Special Delivery 11% 137 Sue Grafton, M Is for Malice 11% 623 John Grisham, The Runaway Jury 10% 369 Patricia Cornwell, Hornets Nest 8% 323 Danielle Steel, Silent Honor 6% 146 LaVyrle Spencer, Small Town Girl 5% 261 Mary Higgins Clark, My Gal Sunday 5% 286 Jacquelyn Mitchard, Deep End of the Ocean 5% 178 Mary Higgins Clark, Moonlight Becomes You 5% 405 Patricia Cornwell, Cause of Death 5% 457</ct> <hd id="AN0000232677-33">Top Circulating Adult Nonfiction</hd> <p>Percentage libraries reporting title as among the top five circulators, 1997</p> <ct id="AN0000232677-34"> Author/Title %Reporting Avg. Annual Circ. Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes 34% 124 John Berendt, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 27% 167 John Gray, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus 24% 251 Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air 9% 61 Marcia Clark, Without a Doubt 5% 87</ct> <p>SOURCE: LJ BOOK BUYING SURVEY, 1997</p> <aug> <p>By Barbara Hoffert</p> <p></p> <p>Barbara Hoffert is Editor, LJ Book Review</p> </aug>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adults%22">Adults</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Books%22">Books</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fiction%22">Fiction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Library+Circulation%22">Library Circulation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Library+Collection+Development%22">Library Collection Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Library+Expenditures%22">Library Expenditures</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Library+Statistics%22">Library Statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Library+Surveys%22">Library Surveys</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literary+Genres%22">Literary Genres</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nonfiction%22">Nonfiction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Libraries%22">Public Libraries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Purchasing%22">Purchasing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22User+Needs+%28Information%29%22">User Needs (Information)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Weeding+%28Library%29%22">Weeding (Library)</searchLink>
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 0363-0277
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: A Library Journal survey of 2000 public libraries investigated adult book expenditures and circulation. This article presents statistics on purchasing power and circulation, sources used for purchasing decisions, where books are purchased, top circulating genres, topics of increased patron and librarian interest, topics being weeded and replaced, and top circulating adult fiction and nonfiction titles. (PEN)
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 1998
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ561556
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ561556
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 5
        StartPage: 106
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Adults
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Books
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fiction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Library Circulation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Library Collection Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Library Expenditures
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Library Statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Library Surveys
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Literary Genres
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Nonfiction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public Libraries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Purchasing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: User Needs (Information)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Weeding (Library)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Book Report: What Public Libraries Buy and How Much They Spend.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Hoffert, Barbara
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 1998
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0363-0277
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 123
            – Type: issue
              Value: 3
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Library Journal
              Type: main
ResultId 1