Who Are You?

So, are people who use libraries "patrons" or "customers"? Consultant Joan Frye Williams, speaking at the American Libraries Association annual conference in Anaheim, CA, said she asked "a bunch of civilians" how to describe library users, and they suggested "member".

Here are the results of a reader poll from Library Journal on what they thought people who use libraries should be called:

Patron..........79%
Customer.....13%
User............. 4%
Member...... 2%
Reader......... 2%
Client........... 1%

What do you think -- are you a patron, a customer or.......?

News on Book Reviews

Even though newspapers are cutting back or eliminating book reviews, National Public Radio is expanding book coverage on its web site, NPR.org, adding weekly reviews and hiring six new reviewers.

Among the latter is John Freeman, the former president of the National Book Critics Circle, who led last year's campaign to save newspaper book review sections.

Also, CNBC has launched its own book blog, Bullish on Books. Written by senior producer Gloria McDonough-Taub, who schedules authors on the cable news channel, the blog focuses on business, management, and personal finance titles.