"They" Tell Us Books Are On The Decline

I just read this statement the other day: "Statistics for 2008 tell us that books are on the decline." Where have we heard that before? The article continued with the following information.
"...The biggest declines for traditional publishers came in travel (down by 15% with only 4,817 new titles), fiction (down 11% with 47,541 new titles), and religion (down 14% at 16,847 new titles).
"...The top five categories for U.S. book production in 2008, according to Bowker, a bibliographic data provider, were: fiction, juveniles, sociology/economics, religion, and science.
"...Independent bookstore members of the American Booksellers Association declined again in the past twelve months, totaling 1,401 as of April as compared to 1,524 stores in the same month a year ago."
The more I read, the more interested I became. One question asked was: "Where do consumers buy books?" According to a statement released from PubTrack(tm) Consumer, a service of R. R. Bowker, LLC:
23% purchased books through online purchase/e-commerce,
22% from large chains (Barnes & Noble, etc.),
10% through book clubs,
7% from independents,
6% through mass merchandisers (Walmart, etc.),
4% from warehouse clubs (SAMS, etc.),
2% from supermarkets/grocery stores,
1% from discount stores, drugstores, religious bookstores and book fairs, and
22% were from a variety of other outlets.
We've found here at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library and the Doerun Municipal Library that books are not on the decline. In fact, our patrons are checking out more books now than ever before. Maybe "books on the decline" means not as many books are being written (which I doubt) or published (maybe) or sold
(probably).
In a time when our economy has us pinching our pennies, there are just not enough coins to constantly buy a new book. And although we continue to read the reviews about the latest published books, we are still looking for ways to find that good read without having to give up an arm and a leg (well, maybe just a leg).
Those people who do surveys about books declining should visit most any library in the country. Sure, maybe sales of books are declining, but library card holders have increased, as have patrons of Inter-Library Loans and the sale of discontinued/discounted books many libraries sell.
What do you think? Are you reading less books or buying less books? Well, come on down to the library where you don't have to give up reading because you can't buy a new book. We've got plenty to share. Just bring your library card or sign up for a free one. We have plenty of those also.
(Source: Southern Review Books at http://www.anvilpub.net/, July 09)