Do popular reading materials belong in college and university libraries?Although some librarians think not, others believe there are compelling reasons for including them. The trend towards user-focused libraries, the importance of attracting patrons to libraries in the age of the Internet, and, most importantly, the need to promote literacy at a time when it has reached its lowest levels are all reasons why academic librarians are reconsidering their ideas about popular reading materials. Librarians who decide to implement a leisure reading collection should consider a number of key issues.KEYWORDS: popular reading collection; literacy; academic libraries; leisure reading; popular fiction; recreational readingIn 2009 our academic library explored the idea of introducing a popular reading collection. There were certainly enough reasons against doing so: budgetary and spatial constraints; a perceived collection policy conflict; and a lack of certainty about our role in this matter. Should we be buying books that are traditionally associated with public libraries? Despite the uncertainty we decided that it was important to pursue the matter.Why? We believe that it is our job to understand and meet our patrons' needs in order to effectively serve them.At our library, students frequently asked for popular reading material, especially at the beginning and end of term. They want to browse the shelves in order to find a good book to read. Up until now, we have directed them to genre subject headings in the 2 catalogue or the literature call-range areas in the library but these methods have had limited success. LC is not an effective classification scheme for browsing fiction. We have also directed students to our local public library. Many of our patrons do not understand why a library includes some books and not others, and most of them are surprised that we do not own more leisure reading materials. Researchers point out that students do what is handy and if reading material is not conveniently located on campus, they frequently choose another activity instead (Christensen 1984;Elliott 2007). All too often we felt as if we were disappointing our users, and that they were not getting the book they were looking for. We started to consider creating our own popular reading collection. Past and Present TrendsThe idea of creating a leisure reading collection in a university library is not new.In the 1920s and 1930s, academic libraries actively promoted the recreational reading interests of students by creating browsing collections of popular literature (Rathe and Blankenship 2005, 76; Zauha 1993, 57). In fact during this period, college librarians considered the promotion of reading to be paramount according to Farber (Zauha, 57) Trend towards User-focused LibrariesAdapting to the needs of the contemporary user is one of the biggest challenges -Students will increasingly view themselves as customers and consumers, expecting high-quality facilities and services‖ so the academic library must be -a strong advocat...

Librarians, like many professionals in other occupations, tend to rely on text and underutilize graphics. Research on visual communication shows that pictures have a number of advantages over words. We can interact more effectively with colleagues and patrons by incorporating ideas from this body of research.

PurposeAcademic librarians who are planning for the future need to be knowledgeable about the short‐ and long‐range outlook for print. They must also consider what will happen if libraries abolish most or all of their books. This paper aims to explore current and future academic e‐book usage, and to suggest ideas for response to collection changes.Design/methodology/approachThis article examines a wide range of studies and comments on this timely topic.FindingsThe disparity between the reception of e‐books in the general population and the adoption of them in the academic world suggests that print is still important to faculty and students. Given the advances in e‐book technology, the increasing popularity of online/distance education courses, the adoption of the new EPUB 3 format, and the ubiquity of mobile devices, e‐books are expected increasingly to replace print volumes in academic libraries.Originality/valueWhat has received little attention in the literature is the complexity of the issue of e‐book reception in the academic world. This article looks at current and future e‐book usage from the perspective of several large studies on diverse aspects of academic life, including students' perceptions of libraries, their information‐seeking behaviors, faculty research habits and information needs, students' reading habits, and the impact of emerging technologies on teaching and learning. Providing insight into current and future academic e‐book trends, this article suggests practical ways to respond to these trends.

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Purpose-Librarians planning for the future and unsure about the place of books in an age dominated by technology and media need evidence to make sound decisions. Library and information science researchers have studied the impact of pleasure reading on individuals but not on society. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness about the benefits of recreational reading for societies and to consider the implications of these findings for libraries. Design/methodology/approach-Examining a wide range of studies by government bodies, intergovernmental agencies, and academics, this article addresses a gap in the library literature by critically evaluating the combined implications of sources not hitherto viewed together. Findings-The more leisure books people read, the more literate they become, and the more prosperous and equitable the society they inhabit. Practical implications-Librarians should create a more robust culture of reading and play a stronger advocacy role for books in libraries. Originality/value-No one has yet examined government reports about literacy in relation to studies on the impact of pleasure reading. The implications of this combined research highlight the fact that pleasure reading benefits societies as well as individuals, a finding that has significant implications for the future direction of libraries. Decision makers who need a robust mandate for book-focused resources and services will find supportive statistical evidence in this article. Since the 1990s, libraries have focussed on technology-based products and services. Although this paradigm shift has revolutionized libraries, updated their image, provided fresh opportunities for innovation, and attracted new customers, it has also moved books to the margins. Over the course of the last decades, circulation figures for books have steadily dropped in public, academic, and school libraries. In its most recent "Materials Breakout | Materials