I am a big supporter of public libraries. In fact, if I want to read a new book, watch a new movie, or listen to a new CD, I almost always get it from the library first. If the library does not have what I want, I request the library to purchase it. This practice makes me feel good for several reasons. I feel encouraged to peruse a range of materials, so I am more likely to give a look to something that seemed only slightly interesting, sometimes pleasantly surprising myself. I also feel less guilty about reading part of a book that I am not really enjoying because I have not cost myself anything. (Well, aside from the time I spent reading an uninteresting book and thinking "Maybe if I stick it out for one more chapter....") Also, I feel like this gives me a greater stake in the continued survival of the public library, which in turn makes me more inclined to volunteer my time at libraries, and makes me feel more like I am performing some sort of civic duty. Really, I can make a short series of connections from reading the latest horror novel to feeling like a humanitarian.
Having said that, I do sometimes feel guilty about not buying certain things. See, because the library is always there and has all the books I persuaded them to purchase, the incentive for me to buy my own copy of a book tends to diminish. After all, I have so many things I want to read that I am not likely to come back to a book within a year, or two, or three. And I can always check it out again from the library if I want to read it again. (Assuming the library has not since weeded the book for lack of circulation.) So why spend what little money I have on a book I can get for free from the library? For the most part, I see no reason. But thinking about small presses has made me adjust my thinking.
I do not think of myself as a very eager capitalist, but I do get interested at the idea that in a consumer-driven society, people "vote with their dollars." I think that this idea can be used as a shaky justification for not developing certain kinds of products (ahem, clean energy technology? More complex dramatic TV series?) on the grounds that the "market" does not already exist, therefore production is too risky to attempt. On the other hand, I also think that logic makes it all the more important for me to support small projects I like, with my money. I might feel less compelled to spend money on a wildly popular product, but I should feel more compelled to spend money on a fringe product.
For example, if a major author like Stephen King puts out a new book, I can buy or not-buy it. Book sales will justify his publisher's investment, and if no one really bought his newest book, he might have a harder go the next time. But his books are very popular and will already sell many, many copies. My decision to buy or not-buy his book will affect sales, but not very much. (Of course, if every person felt that way, his books would not sell, and that would be sad. So please buy Stephen King's books; he is a talented writer and I want to keep reading his books.) By contrast, say a small publisher like Wild Side Press puts out a re-issue of a pulp novel that has been out of print for decades. Their print run will probably not be in the millions, and they will be affected more by my decision to buy or not-buy their book. If I like the work of an author or a company that does not have the same resources as a major publishing house, I can do more to keep them afloat by buying their book. To use another major author example, if I do not want to buy Glenn Beck's thriller--and I do not, I really do not--my refusal to buy it will hardly crush his novelist's dreams; plenty of other people will buy it. But if I refuse to buy a book by a first-time author who just barely got her book published, my not-buying will take a much greater toll.
However, I still feel like trying to get the library to buy small-press books. I might not be wealthy, but I can afford the occasional book. Many other people cannot, and I want them to be able to enjoy the same books I do. And besides, they can already get that Glenn Beck book for free, so I have to give them some healthy alternatives, right?
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