Monday News: Haruki Murakami’s library records published, Barnes & Noble expands, Wally Lamb book as app, and Traits of Classic Romance Novels
Publishing Newsapps / Barnes & Noble / digital publishing / Haruki Murakami / infographics / Libraries / privacy / Wally Lamb10 Comments
Novelist Haruki Murakami’s privacy violated by publication of library details – Apparently some old books at Murakami’s Kobe high school library were being discarded, and the cards showing the check-out records were discovered by someone going through the books. The cards were then shared with a local newspaper, which photographed and published several, with more names than just Murakami’s. The privacy violation has outraged the Japan Library Association, and the incident raises a number of issues regarding how these records should be treated (aka protected). The newspaper is claiming a public interest defense, although that does not extend to the non-famous individuals whose borrowing habits were also given a public viewing by the paper.
The Japan Library Association states in its declaration concerning the freedom of a library that information on individuals who checked out books and when borrowers came and left should not be leaked except for cases involving a warrant issued by authorities. . . .
Hideaki Ono, an editor with The Kobe Shimbun, defended the paper’s decision to run the piece, saying Murakami, 66, is a writer representing Japan and things related to him are of “social interest.” – The Asahi Shimbun
Barnes & Noble Wants to Become More Than Books – Desperation or innovation? This article provided a little bit of deja vu, This time, though, the stakes are a little bit higher, considering Barnes & Noble’s current financial situation and the death of other chains like Borders. Still, Barnes & Noble’s plan to expand beyond books (one example cited was a coloring event- ostensibly to cash in on the new trend) is being touted right before the holidays, so maybe they’ll get a boost from the coverage. Will it be enough in the long run? Has it been in the past, and what’s different now?
Now Mr. Boire, 54, the former chief executive of Sears Canada and a retail veteran who has worked at Brookstone, Best Buy and Toys “R” Us, is under pressure to reverse the fortunes of the beleaguered bookstore chain, which has been stung in recent years by the rise of Amazon, steep losses from its Nook e-reader division and a string of store closings.
To that end, Mr. Boire is leading a push to rebrand Barnes & Noble as more than just a bookstore by expanding its offerings of toys, games, gadgets and other gifts and reshaping the nation’s largest bookstore chain into a “lifestyle brand.” – The New York Times
Wally Lamb’s Latest Novel to Be Released Exclusively as Book App – I generally avoid two stories from the same news source, but I couldn’t find another source for either of these, and I’d already held the B&N story from last week. So pretend one of these is from another source. Anyway, Wally Lamb is releasing his sixth book through a new company called Metabook, and it’s going to be released solely as an app. Which is a risk, of course, but it reminds me of the “original” audiobooks from Audible that are basically radio plays. The new Lamb book sounds pretty similar (and is this going to be the new thing?):
“I’ll Take You There” centers on a film professor who runs a Monday night film club in an old theater that turns out to be haunted by the ghost of Lois Weber, a trailblazing actress, producer and director from the silent film era. Lois’s ghost becomes a guiding spirit of sorts for the narrator, Felix. In addition to the written narrative, which makes up the core of the story, the app weaves in other features, including an original soundtrack, a full cast audio drama narrating the story, and a documentary about Mr. Lamb, shot in the movie theater that inspired the novel.
There are obvious downsides to releasing a book exclusively as an app. “I’ll Take You There” won’t be available in bookstores or even from e-book retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble when it comes out next spring. Instead, Mr. Lamb’s fans will have to buy it from the iTunes app store, and it will work only on Apple devices. – The New York Times
The Traits of Classic Romance Novels: INFOGRAPHIC – An infographic from earlier this year, but apparently both GalleyCat and I missed it. There is some interesting data here, from books by Austen, the Brontes, and others. From repetition of works like “love” and “kiss” to a histogram of how often “love” was used in books between the early 19th century and the first decade of the 21st century. Not dissertation-worthy or anything, but just enough information to make you curious for more. – GalleyCat
I’m not sure I buy “public interest” for what someone was reading 50 years ago, even an author*. The answer to the question “What did you read as a teenager?” might be interesting, because it tells you what stuck with them.
*Barring plagiarism accusations.
I’m not sure why the library cards violate anyone’s privacy. I’m a bit confused by it really because I have to ask, when he checked the books out, did he hide them under his jacket so no one would see what he was reading at the time? I share what I read and checked out from the library when I was young because if anything, I think it encourages young children to read when you’re waxing enthusiastic about books. But that’s just me.
@theo: And if Teenaged Theo had been checking out books about surving rape or sexual abuse? Or about exploring religions or political beliefs of which your parents disapproved? Or abortion or drug use or disease? Or even just some books which you DIDN’T feel like talking or explaining or justifying?
Libraries have very, very good reason for fighting for patron privacy. We’ve already seen what can happen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_Awareness_Program
@hapax: I’m an adult now. I don’t care really at this point in my life. And if I had, the cards in the front of each book would have had my name on it anyway so then one could argue that there should have been no cards, no catalog showing at any time what anyone has ever checked out and that all should have been kept under lock and key.
This man is an adult. I just don’t see where it matters at this point what he checked out as a child/young person. I think one can carry paranoia to extremes and if you think the cards should have been private, then how much easier for someone to hack into electronic records?
Sorry, but I still respectfully disagree. My opinion, like a nose, is who cares?
Exactly what “lifestyle” is B&N representing? Lots of brands really like the idea of selling a lifestyle. I remember when Starbucks was talking about it and getting lots of press on the topic. Look where that went.
The problem with B&N selling a lifestyle is that a big box store is, by definition, a store for everyone and lifestyle is about differentiation. A bookstore might try to focus on those of us who aspire to be intellectuals, but it’s hard to sell intellectual/intelligentsia lifestyle if you are carrying Harlequins and books on fishing. And yet, while I aspire to be an intellectual and have, on occasion, bought into intellectual snobbery about Harlequin readers and fishermen, the fact is, I’ve bought more Harlequins and books on fishing than I have books on existentialism.
@theo: “so then one could argue that there should have been no cards, no catalog showing at any time what anyone has ever checked out”
Which is EXACTLY why most libraries used to shred those cards, and have all moved to electronic record — most of which, BY LAW, do not retain information on a patron’s past checkouts without their express opt-in.
As for “who cares?” I get that YOU don’t. But a lot of my patrons, who come from restrictive (even abusive) home environments, care.
Others, who are investigating extremely personal information (like divorce and mental illness) care.
Others, who sadly are still shamed in our culture for their reading tastes, care.
And a LOT of people who, like ME, are just sick to death of having everybody’s private business open to anybody who wants to nose around in it, care.
As for “being an adult now” — well, many many authors are deeply opposed to their juvenilia being published (to the point that they leave instructions that it be burned or otherwise destroyed).
And remember, it isn’t just Murakami’s name on those cards! I sure wouldn’t want my teenaged journals scanned and posted on the Internet — or my store receipts, or my report cards. Why are library records any less personal?
Sorry for going on at length, but this is an issue I feel very strongly about. In my career, I have seen too many people whose lives would have literally endangered without the very strong privacy rules that libraries enforce.
@hapax: I get where you’re coming from. But at my age, it just doesn’t matter. I was a small child during the 50’s. Library check out cards were the norm. For me, at this point in my life, the kind of trivial and yes, maybe for you, it’s not, but I don’t really care who checked out what, information cleaned from those same cards is so very small in the grand scheme of privacy issues that it just doesn’t matter to me. If you want to get into HIPAA or banking, that’s another story but also one I can see being way, WAY more damaging than a library card which probably hasn’t even seen the light of day in twenty years.
What I read shaped me just like it shaped the above author. If he’s so ashamed of that that he needs to hide it, so be it, I guess.
The attitude, “I have nothing to hide so why should I care?,” is shortsighted in my opinion. Other people throughout history have had things that they felt they had to hide. Things like sexual preference, religion, criminal records—deserved or not—, and so forth. Even if none of these are my issues, I think this is a better place to live because people have been fairly safe from exposure. I don’t know if Murakami was embarrassed, but it is the principle that’s important. If you don’t protect the liberties we enjoy, you risk their loss for everyone. In my humble opinion.
I think this admission from the newspaper that published the article on Murakami is very telling:
“We were inconsiderate in terms of running the story in the form that all the students’ names were deciphered,” he said.
Getting excited over an old library check out card featuring an esteemed writer is one thing. But the other students published along with Murakami’s should have been afforded the opportunity to have their names blurred, especially if they didn’t want the publicity.
I still want my privacy, no matter the age (a little mystery is a good thing, especially in this age of wayyyy too much info being shared). At the very least give people a choice, which the paper clearly admits they didn’t do. Some folks won’t mind, others may think its an invasion of privacy.
I have to look askance at this entire idea of B&N turning into a “lifestyle brand”, in no small part because of the commentary further up this thread about “exactly whose lifestyle are they supposed to be representing”?
And speaking as someone who got into the whole ebook thing via B&N in the first place because of not wanting to deal with Amazon, look, B&N, you guys might not have tanked in the whole ebook market if you hadn’t kept unilaterally sucking at the entire ebook purchasing experience.
Case in point: their website updating completely ruining the experience of buying ebooks on their site. This is what finally drove me over to buying from Kobo, and sometimes also from Smashwords and Amazon for indie authors.