Sunday, April 3, 2011

Find it Here

From my desk/perch above the Kids' section just now, I overheard a conversation among some folks - clearly a family with several generations in tow out for a Sunday visit to Booksmith. One person was expressing his enthusiasm for the store and all that it does/has/is. A couple of others concurred. Standing in front of a bookcase, another fellow said, "Hey, let me see if this title is on my Kindle! It's so cool to stand in a bookstore and order a title online!". Since this has become a topic of some concern for us physical bookstores of late, I waved from my window and said, "Hi there. Just to put forward another perspective, how would that work if the bookstore weren't here? And would you all be okay with the bookstore not being here anymore?" It was all very friendly and civilized - smiles all around and agreement on that being a subject to ponder and discuss.

We have no illusions about the migration of some book sales to electronic devices. Nor are we judgmental or unenthusiastic about technology. And we are constantly reinventing what we are/have/do in order to stay viable. But if you value your favorite bookstore - its curated selection of titles, its knowledgeable booksellers, it author events, its contributions to your community, meeting friends and family there - it would be a good idea to buy books there, too. It would be a sad day if ALL book browsing and buying became a solitary experience between you and something with batteries or chips or whatever.


Here's how our wonderful colleagues at Harvard Bookstore have put it on signs in their store.

Find it here.
Buy it here.
Keep US here.
Thank you for your continued support.
Harvard Bookstore

Well said.

1 comment:

Kitty Kaufman said...

What a diplomat!

I'm sure they were plotzing at being overheard.