ALA Conference 2009: Cowen Envisions Libraries as Info Navigators

American Library Association Conference 2009: Author, opinionator, and regular library user suggests libraries have a future as aggregators. But he really likes Amazon.com, too.

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 07/10/2009

• Author of Create Your Own Economy addresses Movers & Shakers
• “Infovore” goes to libraries at least four times a week
• Says pace of change in the world of books is unmatched

Behavioral economist Tyler Cowen, author, prolific opinionator, regular library user, and self-described “infovore” (not unlike carnivore), today offered both encouraging and sobering words about the future of libraries, suggesting they have a role in sorting through the mass of information but also acknowledging they might have a tough time with funders.

Speaking at LJ’s Movers & Shakers luncheon in Chicago, Cowen drew on issues raised in his new book Create Your Own Economy: The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World (Dutton).

(Photos by Chip Williams)

Library aficionado

Cowen readily acknowledged he’s an atypical library user, visiting four times a week libraries in three systems near his home in Virginia: Arlington Public Library, Fairfax County Public Library, and Falls Church Public Library. “I am drowning in wonderful public libraries,” he said, though he also noted, “I probably buy more than a book a day.”

Fifteen years ago, Cowen said, he was more likely to go to academic libraries. (He teaches at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.) What he finds useful at public libraries, he said, “is not really books per se, but the way of organizing information.”

The future of libraries, he suggested, comes in aggregating and certifying information and--though he gave a somewhat mixed prognosis--in providing physical space.

What about the value of the library as a “third place,” separate from home or work? Cowen said that, while he valued it, “I’m not sure that value can sell to people who fund you.” (Then again, he didn’t say anything about programs held at libraries.) 

He suggested that the process of education requires something of a placebo effect, involving physical places, making libraries important “in a way that turning on the Kindle isn’t.” 

User behavior 

At a public library, Cowen said, he goes immediately to the shelf with new books. He said he also likes to look at books on the return cart to see what others are reading. Cowen did not mention the serendipity gained from searching online lists—a surprising omission, given his praise, later in his talk, of Amazon.com’s reader reviews.

As recently as a year ago, Cowen said, book superstores provided a somewhat similar experience, but Borders, for example, has become “a merchandising warehouse,” selling accessories. 

He said he almost needs to visit cities like London, Singapore, or Tokyo (!) to find a good English-language bookstore. (At this reporter’s table, it was observed that Cowen probably hasn’t visited Denver or Portland, OR, home of the Tattered Cover and Powell’s Books, respectively.) 

The loss of the book

Cowen, drawing on the lens of economics, suggested that the upheaval over the last five years has been more dramatic than any in the history of books. In past decades, he said, publishers essentially served as banks, making an investment in a book (an advance, plus production costs) in the hope of gaining a return.

However, just as other sectors of the economy are “de-leveraging,” so too is the publishing industry. Many books, he noted, are now free on Amazon’s Kindle ereader (which he brandished), while best-sellers cost $9.99.

Cowen’s least-selling book, he noted, moved just a thousand copies. Writing on the popular blog he co-authors, Marginal Revolution, can net him a hundred thousand readers, he pointed out. Cowen said he didn’t know whether, a decade from now, he’d be paid for writing books. (Those with other income, like academics, might be the most stalwart producers of books.)

He said that, while many people like to make fun of Twitter, “I think it’s remarkably powerful.” While “Google dominates the medium term,” for tracking buzz over the past two days, “Twitter is the place to be.”

Meanwhile, more and more people are publishing, in some form. “Along a certain dimension, there’s no scarcity,” he said. “The problem is how to find good stuff.” Thus, libraries can serve as aggregators.

Cowen cited his response to Nicholas Carr, who’s working on a book arguing that Google makes people stupid. “I think it makes people smarter,” he said. “I’m mostly a techno-optimist, but we need to be critical optimists.”

Reading habits

Cowen shared some of his quirky reading habits. He once bought a “too thick” collection of thriller writer Eric Ambler’s works, and ripped it into five individual books. He said he mostly likes the Kindle, “but for reasons that would disquiet Amazon—it’s a bit slow and clunky.”

In fact, he said, while he typically pages aggressively through a print book when trying to examine it, such fast scanning is impossible with the Kindle.

He said that, while he respects book reviews in the New York Times, he’d rather have access to the reviews on Amazon.com, given their aggregation of opinion. In fact, he said, he sometimes is dissuaded by positive reviews if the reviews seem to come from people whose tastes he doesn’t share.