It Was Thirty Years Ago Today...
Well, not today, but today-ish.
Anyways, last week the New York Times Bestseller Lis highlighted their bestseller list from thirty years ago, and I cross-checked my library's collection.
We had over half of the non-fiction titles. We had all but one of the fiction titles -- and that one was missing because all three copies had been checked out and not returned, and I promptly ordered a replacement (Stephen King's Wolves of the Calla, for anyone who cares.)
I find myself oddly horrified by this. I can't imagine a mid-sized public library in 2043 still having almost all of the current list on the shelves (that is, of course, assuming that there will still be public libraries in 2043!)
Is our collection so out-of-date? Or did books a few decades ago simply have more staying power?
Anyways, last week the New York Times Bestseller Lis highlighted their bestseller list from thirty years ago, and I cross-checked my library's collection.
We had over half of the non-fiction titles. We had all but one of the fiction titles -- and that one was missing because all three copies had been checked out and not returned, and I promptly ordered a replacement (Stephen King's Wolves of the Calla, for anyone who cares.)
I find myself oddly horrified by this. I can't imagine a mid-sized public library in 2043 still having almost all of the current list on the shelves (that is, of course, assuming that there will still be public libraries in 2043!)
Is our collection so out-of-date? Or did books a few decades ago simply have more staying power?