Just FYI, both of those libraries are directly across the street from public housing projects. (There's still a lot of inbalance here--particularly with our schools--but if you haven't been to DC recently, you wouldn't recognize much.)
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, George Arterberry <brotherfromhow...@...> wrote: > > I remember the bad old days of the DC Public Library System especially MLK > which > had a permanent smell of urine for years.Also the woefully underfunded East > of > the River branches to include the now demolished Benning Rd . > > There will always be a need for the public library system but the stark > contrast > between juristictions its jarring. > > > > > ________________________________ > From: angelababycat <asrobin...@...> > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Thu, August 19, 2010 7:53:15 PM > Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Barnes and Noble bites the dust > >  > I still like paper books too. But even if the book store market falls apart, > there will be one last refuge: the public library. > > > After decades of neglect, we have 2 new BEAUTIFUL libraries in walking > distance > of us in DC. They are busy with people of all walks. The librarians are far > more > helpful than clerks at a store. They couldn't print a list of top sci-fi > books > either. But because they're profesionals and perhaps tickled to see a sistah > in > the psuedo-hood looking for such titles, they gathered around the computer > and > really tried to help me. Plus, they now have on-line accounts for card > holders, > so you get reminders when your books are due, when your special orders are > in, > etc. And my daughter loves picking out as many books as she wants to take > home. > > > So maybe the fall of the mega book store will lead to the revitalization of > the > old fashioned neighborhood library where we can avoid the temptation of $5.00 > mocha coffee messes, and get our hands on Charles' 1,000 books...for free. > > Angela > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "B Smith" <daikaiju66@> wrote: > > > > I miss that as well. > > > > I can't do the e-book thing. Comic books work for me in that format but I > > love > >the experience of holding and reading a printed book. The Kindle, Nook, > >I-pad, > >etc. can't seem to replicate it for me. > > > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin Baxter <martinbaxter7@> wrote: > > > > > > I admit to missing that as well, Charles, sitting around and chatting. > > > Didn't get to do it often, with the demands of work, though. > > > > > > On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 8:28 AM, Charles Sheehan-Miles < > > > charles@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I made the comment to my wife a couple weeks ago that I'd be screwed if > > > > we > > > > had any sort of apocalypse (or lengthy power outage for that matter). > After > > > > three moves in one year (and another one coming up in a few weeks), we > > > > got > > > > tired of lugging around dozens of boxes of books from state to state. > After > > > > the last move, I donated more than a 1000 books to the local library, > > > > and > > > > replaced most of them with ebooks. I carry my library around in my > > > > pocket > > > > now, which is great⦠but when the battery dies, it really sucks. > > > > > > > > I have mixed feelings about Barnes & Noble. I was a regular at Oxford > > > > Books in Atlanta for many years, met my wife there, got married in the > > > > coffee shop. Not long after B&N opened up in Buckhead, Oxford started > > > > careening toward bankruptcy, due to a combination of bad management, too > > > > much debt, and sudden intense competition from a national chain. B&N > killed > > > > off many many independent bookstores, and now ironically is being > > > > killed > >off > > > > by virtual competition. Not entirely sure how I feel about that, because > > > > I'd give a lot to be able to sit in the coffee shop at Oxford again > >chatting > > > > with the other regulars late into the night. > > > > > > > > From: Martin Baxter <martinbaxter7@> > > > > Reply-To: <scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com> > > > > Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:16:31 -0400 > > > > To: <scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com> > > > > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Barnes and Noble bites the dust > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > "My hunch is that B&N never really embraced the Internet or e-books, > > > > tied > > > > as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores." > > > > > > > > Personally, rave, I think that just might be why I like B&N so much. I'm > > > > not big on e-books at all (I picked up a batch over the past few weeks, > >only > > > > because it was the only way I could get the books, as they're > > > > unavailable > >in > > > > print. E-books, for all the marvel they are, are dependent on tech to be > > > > viewable. If you've got a problem with your Kindle or iPhone or > > > > computer, > > > > you're SOL. Books don't break down, even when they fall apart. > > > > > > > > On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Kelwyn <ravenadal@> wrote: > > > > > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > >http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110381/clearance-sale-barnes-noble-didnt-evolve-enough?mod=career-leadership > > > > > >> > > > >> How did Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS - News) fall so far so fast? > > > >> > > > >> The giant bookstore chain, whose superstores once struck fear into the > > > >> hearts of independent booksellers everywhere, put itself up for sale > > > >> this > > > >> month, rendering it the corporate equivalent of the remaindered books > > > >> it > > > >> sells at a discount. > > > >> > > > >> The company said it made the move because its shares are undervalued, > > > >> but > > > >> to me there was an air of desperation about it. > > > >> > > > >> The simple explanation for Barnes & Noble's decline is the Internet, > which > > > >> spawned Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN - News), e-readers and digital books. > But > > > >> that didn't have to be the end for B&N, which had a dominant market > >position > > > >> and should have out-Amazoned Amazon, leveraging its brand and > > > >> innovating > > > >> when it began marketing and selling books online. > > > >> > > > >> I know exactly when B&N lost me as a customer. Some years ago, to > > > >> compete > > > >> with Amazon, B&N began offering free same-day delivery in Manhattan if > you > > > >> placed your order over the Internet by 11 a.m. I did so several times > > > >> -- > >and > > > >> not once did the books arrive when promised. Everything I have ordered > >from > > > >> Amazon has arrived on time or earlier. Then came Amazon's game-changing > > > >> Kindle, and instant delivery. Nothing I've read about B&N's belated > > > >> rival > > > >> Nook has tempted me to try it. > > > >> > > > >> My hunch is that B&N never really embraced the Internet or e-books, > > > >> tied > > > >> as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores. As > > > >> B&N > > > >> focused on managing decline, a much more nimble Amazon could > > > >> concentrate > > > >> exclusively on the new world it was forming. B&N needed to destroy its > > > >> business model to prevail. Now it is probably too late. There is a > > > >> lesson > > > >> for all businesses here. > > > >> > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody > > > > hell > > > > wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell > > > wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik > > > > > >
