LASFS discussion

Hi, Joe!

Jerry Pournelle pointed out to a bunch of us that ereaders are not replacing hardcover books, they're replacing paperbacks in terms of sales and readership. It's becoming clear that a lot of casual reading is taking place on ereaders or in the form of audio books, while sales of paperbacks are stagnating.

Sorry to hear about your agoraphobia. If you want to visit the new clubhouse in Van Nuys without as much pressure, drop by on a Friday night. Fewer people around, mostly for games and socializing.
Also, at the new clubhouse we have more room for the ongoing sale of used paperbacks. There are some real bargains there sometimes, if you're collecting older ones.

I think that libraries will continue to change, but much of the reason for a library is not purely for the physical books, but the for the means of identifying WHICH book you want or need. Improved catalogs and virtual assistance can address some of that, but you'd be surprised at how many people need to communicate with a live person in order to get the help they need, even now.
The library where I work has even initiated a model where the public can book an appointment for a half hour of a staff member's time, to assist with special research needs.
I know that I never read ALL of the sf magazines on the stands, for considerations of both time and money. When I was a teen I stuck mainly with The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and rarely picked up Analog or Galaxy. We still have a few magazines on the newsstands, including Asimov's. I wouldn't be surprised if those move to a purely e-reader version someday, as several magazines have already done. I know that Galaxy tried it, but they were too far ahead of the curve for the economics to work. Now that more people have e-readers, it seems like a logical step. Two American magazines in the manga field have gone digital, with apparent success, and several game and computer magazines have ceased to have a print version entirely.

Cool. Another source of older paperbacks is an amazing bookstore in Los Angeles, called The Last Bookstore. If you haven't gone there, you've really missed something.

SF in libraries is only dying if the library doesn't have money to spend. In Pasadena, where I live and work, we're still buying a lot of SF both for teens and adults.