The article actually spoke to me on a very personal level as it took me back to 2009, when my college rejected my thesis proposal. I would have wanted my topic to revolve on the idea of 'How do bookstores specifically Powerbooks and Fully Booked (as they were the fad those days) entice more users, and how can libraries adapt and adopt these practices?'

Back in 2009, as I had to kill time in between subjects during my last semester in UP, I became an instant fan of bookstores. I remember going everyday to Powerbooks Trinoma near Fitness First as I had to finish five books of Erich Segal including Love Story and Oliver's Story! This actually led me to thinking, 'why don't I just stay in the library and read there? For sure, they too, would have the same titles by Segal.' But being inside the bookstore gave me a sense of comfort -- plush chairs, carpeted floors, warm lights -- unlike in the library where I had to sit on hard wooden chairs. So, honestly, reading in the library for me back then, was never pleasurable and enjoyable.

I would have wanted to delve deeper into the marketing strategies of bookstores, the book arrangement by genres and how effective they are, the display shelves of new titles, and the announcements of best selling titles and authors, etc etc. Sadly, it never came into fruition as I was told that bookstores should never go against libraries. It is true. But couldn't they co-exist, be complimentary and learn from each other?

Maybe I should re-visit this idea. For more info on how some libraries arrange their collection by genre, you may refer to this blog post: School Librarian in Action