This paper is a personal perspective on the reasons for this decline, a few exceptions to the trend, and possible strategies and resources to reemphasize independent reading. Subtopics include book reviewing, popular or browsing collections, reader's advisory, cultural and institutional changes, the relationship between bookstores and libraries, the relationship between print and electronic resources, and the changing role of the bibliographer. Being a reader led me to becoming a librarian. I've had to teach myself readers' advisory to find the best ways to connect books to readers. Sponsoring book groups at the library is one of my more successful attempts at sharing the joys of reading.
Book groups provide information, fun and a sense of community.
Libraries should sponsor as many book groups as possible to spread the fun of reading and the communal aspect of reading in relation to the isolation of computer information. This article suggests that the public library offers many books in its general collection that are appropriate for adults who are just learning to read or working to improve their reading. Librarians can play an important role in promoting literacy by recommending books from the poetry, art and photography, literature, and children's collections. Representative titles from all sections are discussed. The goal of this article is to underscore the fact that books and reading remain absolutely central to the purpose of the library, no matter what decisions we make about technology, and that providing books remains a service patrons should expect and demand.