Op Ed--IMHBCO (In My Humble But Correct Opinion)

Abstract

The author argues against book acquisition in the traditional sense for libraries. He says the purpose of permanent collections was originally to have books available when people needed them, and that it was once necessary to buy scholarly books quickly before they went out of print. He notes the aspect of informed guesswork entailed in this practice about what people would need. He notes that books no longer go out of print thanks to Google Books database, and books can be printed and bound in a few minutes thanks to the Espresso Book Machine. He states that the risk of purchasing books that may or may not be needed is no longer justified.