ARE THERE ENOUGH BOOKS IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES?

Tim Coates, author of The Freckle Reports, noticed and has detailed in his reports, the declining use of public libraries in both the UK and in the United States, which, he says, is a consequence of a falling focus on the quality of book collections. In turn, as this has gone on for so long, it has had a significant impact on the depth of trade publishing.  As per Tim Coates, publishers are no longer able to publish and sell the range of content that they used to be able to offer. Tim wants to call for a senior trade initiative to attempt, by cooperation, to reverse these trends which, he says, are damaging libraries, publishers, and the practice of reading in the population. 

Tim Coates is joined on stage by Dr. Jessica Sänger of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association as well Frauke Untiedt of the German Library Association. Moderated by Porter Anderson, Publishing Perspectives.