LJ's Book Buying Survey 2011: Uphill Battle
Exciting developments even as budgets stay at rock bottom Feb 15, 2011Let’s not panic. We knew the news would be bad. Respondents to LJ’s annual book buying survey of public libraries nationwide reported that adult book budgets were down eight percent overall, the largest plunge recorded since the survey began in 1998. What’s more, for the first time ever, cuts were reported for every region of the country and every size of population served. That these cuts came on top of reductions averaging 2.3 percent and 4.9 percent, as reported in the 2008 and 2009 surveys, respectively, suggests how hard up librarians must feel.
Holding on
About half of LJ’s respondents revealed that their budgets were at least holding steady—not the best news, with costs inevitably escalating, but at least not the dire axing that might have been expected. Yet only eight percent saw actual increases—the smallest number ever for this survey. As recently as 2007, by comparison, nearly half reported budget upticks.
Reflecting a decade-long trend, circulation did rise—but at a rate of 2.2 percent, considerably lower than last year’s seven percent and the smallest increase recorded since 2004. Meanwhile, library use is up, so perhaps, with less money, libraries just couldn’t provide the new materials that would fuel circulation. At least this year’s per capita circulation of 5.9, compared with last year’s 5.6 and 2004’s 4.3, is a good number to lob at officials questioning the value of library spending.
It’s not that money for books was being diverted to, say, downloadables. A quick look at this year’s materials budget breakdown shows books claiming 64 percent of the budget on average, with the rest going to media (20 percent), ebooks (two percent), e-products generally (eight percent), and other (six percent)—almost the same as last year. Since 2004, the book budget’s share of materials funding has averaged 66.5 percent, so there’s been some slippage. But that reflects an ongoing and markedly gradual shift in the distribution of the materials budget, not a wholesale swipe at books in tough times.
None of this is surprising, given the current state of the economy. Fortunately, LJ’s annual budget survey (“Bottoming Out?” LJ 1/11, p. 28), which reports projected funding for next year, gives some cause for hope. Remember, too, that the book buying survey is meant as a snapshot, with the 100 or so libraries queried changing somewhat over the years; highs and lows can be intensified with a small and shifting sample. Nevertheless, public librarians clearly faced an uphill battle last year—even as they encountered the newest twist in their jobs, the advent of the ebook. But that comes later; now here’s more on how the year went.
Cookbooks rise
Last year, in a move first detected in 2004, public libraries spent more on fiction than nonfiction by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent on average. The smaller the library, the stronger the tilt toward fiction, with libraries serving populations under 10,000 spending nearly 70 percent of their book budget on thrillers, chillers, and the Great American Novel. Mid- and large-sized libraries weren’t so extreme in their division of funds but still favored fiction by 52 percent on average.
Circulation, too, gave a nod to fiction, which trumped nonfiction by a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent overall. The big news is that in nonfiction circulation, cookbooks overtook long-reigning medicine/health for the top spot, though the latter still claimed the lead in expenditures. A whopping 67 percent of respondents cited cookbooks among their top five circulators, about two and a half times more than a decade ago (see “Trends in Nonfiction Book Borrowing, 2001–10,” below). Apparently, the Internet is not luring cooks from books. Explained Morrow editor Cassie Jones in a Prepub Alert Q&A regarding Guy Fieri Food, “You can easily find thousands of recipes online, but a cookbook gives you something special—a window into a particular culinary vision.”
Current events strong
People may be reading fiction for escape, but they’re also absorbed by today’s thorny realities; last year saw
a surge in the circulation of current events/political and business/careers titles. Interest in current events has been building steadily since 2002, when only seven percent of respondents cited it as a significant circulator. Now it’s given top marks by four in ten respondents, bumping its standing up two notches from last year, when it tied for sixth place in nonfiction circulation.
Like politics, the troubled economy has fired up readers. Business was cited as a top circulator by 37 percent of respondents, up from 30 percent last year and only 14 percent a decade ago. In addition, college and test prep guides were broken out for the first time on this survey because they are even more critical in the current economic environment. They were highlighted by 17 percent of respondents—perhaps not as much as we might have expected but a decent showing.
With some subjects rising, others must inevitably fall. Travel, arts/collectibles, and how-to have all tumbled, with the last dropping the furthest. It’s still in third place, but compared with 61 percent of respondents last year, this year only 48 percent gave it a shout-out as a circulating power—the worst showing in a decade. The downturn for how-to/home arts is all the more noteworthy because it has been building steadily as nonfiction’s great success story (see, e.g., “The Turnaround,” LJ 2/15/05, p. 36). Perhaps job hunters and stressed-out workers with frozen salaries don’t have the time, money, or energy to revitalize the home.
A grasp on YA numbers
Past surveys have broken out children’s as well as adult book budgets; recently, we have begun breaking out YA budgets as well. According to LJ’s respondents, last year adult books claimed a 61 percent share of the budget, while children’s and YA titles got 28 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
That breakdown remains reasonably consistent across populations served, as does the proportion of adult to children’s to YA circulation. For respondents as a whole, mean circulation stood at 521,000 for adult books, 335,000 for children’s, and 66,000 for YA titles.
Media still rising
Media titles, that is, both audio and video, don’t yet circulate as well as books, but they’re gaining, with 55 percent of respondents indicating increased circulation compared with just 40 percent for books. At 3.7 percent, the net increase for media circulation outshone the book circulation increase as well.
Interestingly, while libraries serving populations of 100,000 or more show the greatest increase in media circulation—upwards of 60 percent—the highest per capita circulation was found among the smallest libraries—3.4 per capita for those serving populations under 25,000 compared with 2.5 on average. That’s not surprising, since, with fewer amenities like movie theaters, folks are more likely to turn to libraries for their entertainment needs.
How ebooks compare
If 2010 was the year of the budget bust, it was also the year of the ebook, a phenomenon currently energizing the entire library community. Two-thirds of this year’s respondents—and all those serving populations of 500,000 or more—currently offer ebooks. On average, ebook circulation increased by 52 percent (having started nearly from scratch, of course), with nine in ten libraries reporting increases. What’s especially interesting, however, is comparing ebook circulation with book circulation by subject.
As with books, fiction outranks nonfiction in ebook circulation—by the even more lopsided figure of 70 percent to 30 percent. In nonfiction, biography/memoir and history make a considerably stronger showing as ebooks than they do in print, ranking first and third, respectively. Fully 66 percent of respondents cited biography among their top five nonfiction circulators (see “Nonfiction Circulation, Books vs. Ebooks,” right). This year’s nonfiction book darlings—current events and business—do even better as ebooks, with respondents ranking them second and fourth, respectively. Surprisingly, medicine/health is way down the list, and cooking—number one by a wide margin in nonfiction book circulation—doesn’t even make the top ten among ebooks.
For now, ebook circulation may be skewed by the lack of availability of titles and ereading devices supporting library lending. And the ever-improving ebook technology could reshape things, too. Of the poor showing by cookbooks, Media Source Inc. researcher Laura Girmscheid says, “I think this will change with the iPad and other readers that better allow for graphics.” In the meantime, it will be exciting to see how ebook circulation develops and to ponder why, for instance, a hefty biography might do better in cyberspace than does the latest health guide.
Coping with ebooks
The ebook phenomenon has galvanized librarians; half of LJ’s respondents had something to say on the subject, occasionally heated. With formats not yet standardized and ebooks often easier to purchase than to borrow, given the clunky access to library ebooks, some respondents worry that they’ll lose patrons to the Kindle or its equivalents. As the director of one small Northeastern library observed, “Once someone gets an ereader, we no longer see them in the library, unless they have a question about OverDrive.”
Other respondents take the long view that ereader usage independent of the library is inevitable and needn’t be seen as a threat. In fact, the buy-or-borrow question regarding ebooks exactly parallels the buy-or-borrow question regarding books themselves. Those who bought print will certainly download ebooks on their own, but even the most committed reader won’t want to purchase everything. “Booksellers and public libraries have long coexisted and increased the awareness about, and availability of, books,” says Douglas McDonough, Manchester P.L., CT. “In today’s economy, frugal is fashionable, and borrowing beats buying.”
Several respondents put forth proof that ebook purchase by individuals is not hurting their libraries, pointing to increased print circulation and a steady number of best seller holds even in communities where ereaders abound. In fact, ereaders may actually be driving people to the library. “Patrons who ask about ereaders want to know what readers work with our OverDrive collection so they can continue to use the library, even electronically,” says Philip Jones, Central Arkansas Library. “I also know that at least some Barnes & Noble staff at the local store are using the availability of free library ebooks as a selling point for the Nook.”
Patrons in the mix
While it’s terrific that patrons want to discover which ereaders work with the local library collection, it does bring up a stumbling block. Varied and often incompatible formats confuse both staff and patrons. And patrons cannot fathom that not every ebook is available through the library. Some respondents report they’re working through the problems, but more agree with Laura Lent (San Francisco P.L.) that “this is a growing concern. Patrons get upset when they can’t download.”
As we know, solutions are not yet forthcoming, and the desperation some librarians feel is palpable. “Someone—either [the American Library Association], [Urban Libraries Council], or the big metro systems—needs to speak up for patrons and access to content. They shouldn’t be shut out because they don’t have the right device,” declares Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH. Henry Bankhead (Los Gatos Lib., CA) argues that libraries must speak up aggressively or risk being cut out of the action altogether. He’s even got suggestions regarding the onerous one-book, one-user restrictions currently imposed on libraries. “The first idea is pay per download,” says Bankhead, “and the second idea really flows from the first: multiformat distribution as a consequence of patron-driven acquisition.” Any takers? [See also News, p. 15.]
Ebooks and reading
Are ebooks good for reading? The answer from LJ’s respondents is mostly yes. “We hear all the time that customers are reading more, print and nonprint,” explains Phoenix P.L.’s Kathleen Sullivan.
Deb Czarnik, Lee County Library System, FL, goes one step further, focusing on the value of ebooks for specific audiences. “They grab a new generation of readers in the electronic era, before they are entirely lost to videos, games, and Internet browsing on their mobile devices,” she says. “They work great for the older generation in our community as well and open up the possibility of reading many more titles to users with poor eyesight.” For most of this survey’s respondents, it doesn’t really matter how people get their books as long as they keep reading, and for those who’ve mastered downloading from the library, the convenience of ebooks is a positive.
There are a few naysayers, of course. Some worry that Amazon, Apple, and the like are so powerful that they’ll find a way to restrict what is available. Others argue that the ebook phenomenon is just one more roadblock for those who can’t afford ereaders; indeed, some authors refuse to grant ebook rights for that very reason. Says Laura Speer, Fayetteville P.L., AR, “When ebooks were first discussed as a theoretical market, people thought they would be less expensive and more accessible. But generally ebooks aren’t that much less expensive, and the tools for reading them are not cheap either. As with any other format of information, it depends on the reader.”
In the end, says Lee Fertitta, Port Washington P.L., NY, “It doesn’t matter whether ebooks are good for reading or not. If people are using them, libraries will find a way to provide them.” Most librarians would agree. Despite this year’s budget woes, they’ve pushed ahead on this new frontier and accomplished plenty. Let’s see what next year brings.
| Author Information |
| Barbara Hoffert is Editor, Prepub Alert, LJ |
