Booklist Online: Book Reviews from the American Library Association

Yahoo news reports that the Washington Post is dropping its Book World supplement, joining the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times as major papers that have eliminated book supplements and reduced coverage of books in an effort to cut costs. Do any book supplements survive beyond the New York Times?  

I know the budget difficulties for newspapers are a very real problem and that none of them dropped these sections lightly. I know that there are other ways to get information about books. But as a book lover, as a reader, as a believer in the power of knowledge, I can’t help but thinking they are making a serious mistake.

And no, I don’t find much irony in the fact that I found this report about troubles with newspapers while reading an online news source. To read basic information from the major news wires, I find online sources more convenient, and I’m not alone in feeling that way. The reason I still read newspapers is for unique content that A.P. and Reuter’s don’t provide, content like the Washington Post Book World.

So low marks for your decision Washington Post (and you too Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune). I think of all the people who visit the desk at my library with their Book World in hand, asking us to purchase the book from the review they just read, place the best seller from your list on hold, or who pore through its pages for reviews to take to their book group. Will they still find a subscription worth their money now? I don’t know.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 9:20 pm and is filed under In the News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.