Bookshops and libraries: Supporting a literary community

The Read- Booksellers NZ

by Marcus Greville

The similarities and differences between libraries and bookshops are as striking as they are informative. In the larger book ecosystem that exists in the NZ community, the relationship that exists between these delivery mechanisms for literature is incredibly important: but is the connection between the two afforded the importance it should be? And are the commercial and community responsibilities of the different institutions complimentary or in opposition?

This week The Read talks to John Stears, the Libraries and Community Spaces Manager at the Wellington Central Library, Bridget Schaumann, Librarian at King’s High School in Dunedin, and John McIntyre of the Children’s Bookshop about how libraries and bookshops exist in the literary community and the people they serve in their differing contexts. Read on.