tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2859446071240153923.post5424047924211637646..comments2024-01-03T15:32:52.616-05:00Comments on Noticing New York: Are NYPL Trustees Flying Blind on The Basics? Numbers To Inform Them About The Drastic Dwindling of Books In Manhattan’s Principal Libraries Are Missing From Their MinutesNoticing New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15726747803887470424noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2859446071240153923.post-52904747215779927282013-11-30T16:05:06.743-05:002013-11-30T16:05:06.743-05:00Sadly, this trend is also noticeable in Europe. I ...Sadly, this trend is also noticeable in Europe. I live in Vienna, Austria and you can see that the libraries struggle, but there are <a href="http://new-york.hotelscheap.org/" rel="nofollow">hotels</a> and restaurants everywhere. And we are called "The cultural capital of Europe"...LilKittiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17195936002001865901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2859446071240153923.post-25929190455107065442013-11-29T13:23:17.895-05:002013-11-29T13:23:17.895-05:00Re the comment under the name Coral Delling- NYPL ...Re the comment under the name Coral Delling- NYPL E-book circulation is only 7%. That would hardly seem to justify the emptying of the shelves that is going on unless it is intended to actually drive people into digital books (with temporary licenses that expire) in which case the circulation of ebooks would be even lower. There is also the matter (per Scientific American) of the brain being hardwired to prefer and learn better with physical books. Then there is the public's (including young people) preference for continuing to use physical books. As for the reference books, the license issues have not been resolved and they are largely NOT being digitized which (taxpayers) is expensive itself(see Charles Petersen's article). Also we can only hope that, following in the footsteps of the San Francisco library, we are not losing the books a they did theirs.<br /><br />The point about the annual report is interesting. Where exactly do you think the reduction of books from over 12 million to 4 million or fewer is highlighted for the trustees to see in which of the annual reports and where are you picking up evidence to suppose they looked at that and thought through what you are saying you think they did? Noticing New Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15726747803887470424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2859446071240153923.post-38773067423034753542013-11-29T09:25:07.028-05:002013-11-29T09:25:07.028-05:00Perhaps the trustees take it upon themselves to re...Perhaps the trustees take it upon themselves to read the institution's annual report, as opposed to rehashing information that is freely and publicly available during their meetings?<br /><br />NYPL boasts holdings of over 53 million materials. 'Dwindling' is a terribly leveraged term in this regard.<br /><br />Perhaps availability of physical books is being tempered in response to ebook circulation increasing 190% since FY'08? We insist upon forcing the good people of the NYPL to lobby for funding every year, instead of affording them a stable budget; has anyone calculated the cost of managing physical materials and compared it to the cost of managing digital materials?<br /><br />I'm not a librarian, but I'm quite sure decisions to 'dwindle' are based on usage statistics (as would be true in any profession where inventory management is a central focus). If materials are not being used, please cull them. I wouldn't appreciate my tax dollar being wasted on managing materials that are unused, or otherwise available in forms that are cheaper and/or easier to use.<br /><br />Really, most of the estimations, suppositions, and assumptions made in this piece could be largely assuaged by a single once-over of the annual report and a small dose of critical thinking.<br /><br />Noticing NY is one of my favorite online destinations to keep abreast of city happenings. However, the unceasing doomsday moans specific to NYPL is getting tired--as is the terrible reporting on the facts--and I feel compelled to look elsewhere for my local knowledge fix.<br /><br />Which is a shame.<br /><br />p.s. The word [oughtn't] should never have made it through editing.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13490596133332255570noreply@blogger.com