Library Express: Creating a Library Feeling in a Consumer-Based World

Library Express: Creating a Library Feeling in a Consumer-Based World

The setup of Library Express is reminiscent of both the typical bookstore layout and the library it is modeled after. It intertwines aspects of a library that you would picture in any place with the distinct setup of a bookstore. Both aspects, while separate in theory, are tied together through the layout of the store. There is significance behind the placement and appearance of each section and decoration of Library Express. The setup of the front of the store, the purchasing area, is cluttered and full of books and book-related items that tempt customers into spending both their time and money in the store. The back of the store is a condensed version of a typical library, enough so that it is easy to forget you are also in a bookstore. This progression from store to library is well-paced and flows as it should. The overall layout of the store is clearly intended for independence. The calming music and general quiet of Library Express give everyone who enters a sense of solitude and peace that is much welcomed in the bustling world of today.

Despite this, the layout was more reminiscent of a bookstore than a library. There were only two sections with library-specific items, while the rest of the store was dedicated to purchasing items. The back end of the store was distinctly more library-centered than the front, which fits with the ideal library image. Libraries are typically quiet, private places where you can be alone in your thoughts. The placement of the community library areas at the back of Library Express allows more privacy. While there, you can feel as if you are in a different area than elsewhere in the store. If this area were at the front, the large windows would give a sense of being watched and exposed. You would never get the private sense that community requires.

Image taken by Brooke Nelson

The individual niches along the sides of the store were set up in a way that naturally progressed throughout. Each niche, though focused on a different subject, paired well with the surrounding niches. For example, the section on Scranton was next to the section on general history and reference books, which paired nicely with the facing artistic and poetry sections. This arrangement shows the great thought put into the set-up of the store. The designers thought about how people would progress while creating the layout. The entrance of the store, with bargain carts of books, suggests a feeling of intrigue in potential consumers. They see a variety of inexpensive books and themed window displays, which brings them into the store itself to encounter other temptations inside.

Image taken by Brooke Nelson

Though the library section was small, it was arranged in an almost exact match as the purchasing section of Library Express, making it easy to find books in either section. The two niches were separated by a container for returned library items, allowing it to be accessible to people on either side. In addition to this, the two niches on library materials were in the most isolated and private area of the store: the back corner. This mimics many other library setups in their separation from the rest of the world, which allows the customers to have a distinct idea of where they are. Allowing people to clearly know what the purpose of each section is allows them to find their way around without much outside assistance from employees. Their location next to the checkout, as well, lets the customers feel as if they are in a confined library. It eliminates the need to walk across the store through a different section with a different purpose.

Most items sold near the checkout area were book-themed, or at least book-adjacent. This perfectly reflects Lydia Pyne’s statement that “… the books and not-books a person puts on their shelves become a declaration of their identity” (41). The purpose of the store is to cater to bookish individuals and bring together a community. This is reflected in the specificity of books as a subject of most of the store. When you are next to the checkout area of any store, the small trinkets surrounding the register are meant to tempt you into spending just a bit more money. However, there was no pressure felt from the employees to purchase any of the items. The focus of the employees on creating an individual experience rather than spending money allows the store to mimic a library checkout experience.

The books themselves are shelved in a typical way, side by side with their spines out. The sales tables in the center of each niche are set up to maximize the space each book has. Each book on these tables is set apart from one another, propped up with their covers out, and arranged artfully on the shelves. This clear distinction forces the books on the tables to feel special, which tempts customers into purchasing them. The bookshelves themselves are wooden, with adjustable levels for each shelf. They do not have backing, which makes customers able to see through to the other side. This clarity between sections creates a small sense of community. You can see others participating in the same activity as you, which brings people together. Pyne states that “For some bookshelves, mobility involves arranging space for visitors. This arrangement of space is like creating spatial holes around the bookshelves” (64). The bookshelves, like Pyne’s idea of mobility, create individual spaces for customers to feel comfortingly confined in.

The sense of the store was one of isolated comfort, with a community available at any time. The employees never made their way around the store or even spoke with you beyond a greeting as you walked in the door. This action is reminiscent of a library, differentiating it from an otherwise consumer-based area, the mall. In libraries, the librarians do not walk around, and you are left to your own devices for the most part. However, in stores, you are forced to interact with employees and are asked if you require help at least once. This act, while innocuous, gives a distinct air that you are simply a customer rather than a member of a community, as opposed to the library sense.

It is obvious that Library Express caters itself toward community, especially in the wide variety of community-oriented sections. As Clifford says on page 221, “The critical history of collecting is concerned with what from the material world specific groups and individuals choose to preserve, value, and exchange.” Library Express collects books in a way that values their accessibility and wide audience, particularly shown in the clear and easy distinctions between areas. There are activity sections, book and stuffed animal pairs for children to peruse, a seating area, and an open activity for customers to color themselves. With the confined area of the back of the store, people in those areas are more likely to feel a sense of community with others, as they are all in the same space participating in the same activity. Though this activity is not always the exact same, the location and similarities in activities are enough. Library Express and its setup tie together into a close-knit community welcoming to all.

Images

Nelson, Brooke. Images of Library Express. 28 Oct. 2023.

Sources

Clifford, James. “On Collecting Art and Culture.” Harvard University Press, 1988, pp. 215–251. Twentieth-Century Ethnography, Literature, and Art, Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Pyne, Lydia V. Bookshelf. Bloomsbury Academic, an Imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2016.

Books-For-A-Million

Whether you are shopping for a specific book, or just taking some time to yourself to browse around a bookstore, you may not be aware of all of the reasons you’re drawn into that store. When I had the chance to look around the Books-A-Million store in the Susquehanna Valley Mall, I was curious to see how the layout of the store contributed to the store itself. I wondered if there was a “method to the layout madness.” While I looked around and made interpretations of my own, I noted the floor plan of the store. Below is a sketch of Books-A-Million, a store that seems to appeal to all.

 

When you walk into the entrance of this store, there seems to be something for everyone depending on which direction you look. It is clear that when BAM was designing their floor plan, they wanted their store to appeal to many different audiences. Because Books-A-Million is a corporate bookstore chain, it is appropriate to assume that they are not attempting to cater to one certain type of book consumer. BAM wants to lure all kinds of readers into their store in hopes they will want to continue shopping around the store after looking at what originally appealed to them. In my opinion the floor plan in Books-A-Million represents the goal to attract readers of all genres into their store. However, I couldn’t help but feel the store also had a deeper hidden message in the way it was organized.

Upon entering the store the first thing that appeals to many customers is a small cart of books that are labeled with the words everyone loves to see when shopping in a mall – on sale.  This small cart is simple, but it is a sure way to get shoppers to look in the stores direction and draw them in to get a closer look. This is where the floor plan begins to do its job. At the entrance, consumers get a taste of everything that can be offered in the store. To the right there are magazines of all genres in the newsstand section. To the left customers see new arrivals, top sellers, and a featured series. The featured series is complete with books and merchandise of all kinds that may appeal to fans of the series. There are both tables and shelves full of books and games that coincide with the series theme. Straight ahead are shelves and shelves of genres that are clearly labeled so readers of all genres can find what they are looking for. In the back there is a brightly colored sign that is for the kids. the kids section aligns the while back wall of the store and is filled with books as well as toys and games that appeal to young shoppers. This leads to me to believe the layout is appealing to everyone; no matter what stage of life that person is in. Is BAM a representation of  stages of life? I didn’t think this could be until I recognized a path around the outside edges of the store.

Left wall of BAM in Selinsgrove. Genres are listed above creating columns.

Along the left wall shoppers are provided with a large variety of books to look through. What I found interesting about this wall, was it appeared as though it were a timeline. While walking through the store I was unaware of this at first. But after creating my floor plan and taking a deeper look into the genres listed above, I noticed this pattern. Starting at the front of this store the labels are favorites, local, interest, art, music, games etc. I believe these are grouped together because they are all common human interest. However, as you work your way back deeper through the store, the genres also seem to grow deeper. Towards the back we being to see spirit, philosophy, and biographies. After this group consumers begin to see more genres such as business, cooking, and parenting. It was no surprise to see that the corner of the store connects parenting to baby’s first books. The baby books develop into children’s books and increase in reading level as it moves along the edge of the store.

This layout to me indicates a cycle. This is the cycle of interest as we grow as humans. The outside walls of the store represent the stages of life most people experience. beginning at the left wall with interests and leading into self growth, religion, and philosophy. Next, we get into the part of life we begin to have interest in business and parenting. This leads into the kids section as we have children and teach them to grow. The inside of the store has other books, games, toys, etc. I feel these things represent what we need during our lives to help us grow through each of these outer sections. When I think about the bookstore as a representation of a life cycle, I think about a quote from Walter Benjamin in Unpacking My Library: A Talk About Book Collecting. Benjamin says “Every passion boarders on the chaotic, but the collector’s passion boarders on the chaos on memories.” (Benjamin 60) I think about this quote because if everyone thought about bookstores as representations of life then we would be wanting to collect these books with passion, even if it seems chaotic.

Overall, I feel that Books-A-Million appeals to everyone in a way that draws everyone into the store. I feel the drawing people in effect is due to the connection of life stages all people go through. Life takes us through many phases and sometimes we need things to help us through these phases, so why not use collection of books? Benjamin states, “Collectors are people with a tactical instinct; Their experience teaches them…” (Benjamin 63) We should use our experiences to learn to move through the stages of life, and to do this Benjamin suggests we create our own collections. Books-A-Million’s floor plan is one that invites consumers in to become collectors, and there is a book for everyone no matter what stage of life you are in.

 

Sources:

Text

Benjamin, Walter. Unpacking My Library: A Talk About Book Collecting. Schocken Books, 1931.

Images

Courtesy of Madison Rice

 

Floor plan

Created on www.thinglink.com

Organized Chaos in John K. King Used and Rare Books

Imagine walking down West Lafayette Boulevard and stepping inside John K. King Used and Rare Books. When you cross the threshold, you’ll immediately see shelves of books stretching far back into the store. Remember, this store used to be a factory, so the building is more massive than your typical bookstore. On the first floor you’ll see popular books, titles that will likely sell quickly: Bibles, juvenile nonfiction, classics, and cookbooks. Whether you are 20160314_173533000_iOSan avid reader or not, these books will seem fairly accessible, and you may choose to just stick to this floor. If you’re feeling curious, though, you’ll wander up the stairs to check out what else the store has to offer. You’ll visit the second floor, which holds mostly reference books and educational texts, a significant difference from the accessible titles on the first floor. Then you’ll find your way to the third floor, which holds books you might choose for entertainment: mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, and picture books. These books mark a transition back to accessible, popular titles.

By the time you reach the fourth floor, you may feel a little tired from climbing so many sets of stairs, but the sight of seemingly endless shelves of books will surely cure you of your weariness. This floor holds the most obscure collection: books about pets, fitness, religion, agriculture, philosophy, and a number of other random categories. Most of these titles probably won’t interest you, but perhaps one small section will catch your eye, and you’ll scour the selection for the perfect book about law enforcement or anthropology or fashion.

As I virtually browsed the store, using pictures and videos to piece together the fullest picture of John K. King Used and Rare Books possible, the term that came to mind over and over again is “organized chaos.” As you can see on the floor map, the store has designated sections for every category of books, and handwritten signs clearly label the individual shelves. But the store also features crates and boxes scattered on the floor, presumably crammed with books that can’t fit on the shelves, as well as stacks of books on tables. Even with four stories, the store simply doesn’t have the shelf space for all of its books, so the booksellers leave them lying around wherever they will fit.

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Through social media accounts (Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram), the store promotes its aesthetic: dark, dusty, overflowing shelves.

[wooslider slideshow_speed=”5.0″ slider_type=”attachments” limit=”8″]

Unlike so many bookstores with bright and open spaces, John K. King Used and Rare Books has a labyrinth of shelves with plenty of dark corners to hide away in as you browse for hours. The fact that the building is an old factory is quirky and artistic, especially since there is evidence of the store’s history in the design, such as the image of the glove on the outside of the building. Rather than conforming to the standard image of a bookstore, John K. King Used and Rare Books lets itself stand out as unique. It also encourages customers to get lost in the shelves. It’s not the store you go to when you want to quickly find a specific book; it’s the store you go to when you want to get lost in literature. By promoting the value of spending time in a bookstore for personal enjoyment rather than for the purpose of purchasing a specific product, John K. King signals to visitors that it isn’t a place that’s only concerned with making a profit. John K. King seems to treat the people who come into the store as book lovers rather than consumers.

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The booksellers of John K. King Used and Rare Books mostly buy books that are rare or obscure, books that can’t easily be found online (Detroit Gems). I think the fourth floor is an excellent example of how beneficial it can be to stock such obscure books. The store doesn’t have to compete with online retailers who stock the same titles, and customers are lured in by the promise of old, unusual books. Take a closer look at the map I’ve drawn below, which shows the different categories of books on the fourth floor.

The organized chaos of the store and the randomness of the fourth floor selection remind me of Walter Benjamin’s thoughts on collecting. In Illuminations, he writes, “there is in the life of a collector a dialectical tension between the poles of disorder and order” (60). If we assume that all of the books in John K. King form a collection, then we must acknowledge that the booksellers are collectors who experience this tension. While the sections of the store are neatly labeled, the organization seems random upon closer inspection. Books about geography are placed next to books about the Kennedy family, and books about law share a shelf with books about interior decoration. These categories don’t clearly connect to each other, so in this sense, the collection is disorganized, a sign that the employees of the store simply shelve books wherever there is room for them. Yet the collection swings back toward the pole of order when you consider the booksellers’ criteria for buying any book for the store. Since they only buy books that are old or unusual, every book in the store fits into this particular category, so there is some amount of order to the collection. John K. King balances the disorder with the order, using labels and maps to create organization in a large space filled with approximately one million books of different categories.

The care with which the booksellers at John K. King Used and Rare Books organize their store demonstrates that they treat their books as valuable things. Bruno Latour has examined the distinctions between objects and things, claiming that objects are “abandoned to the empty mastery of science and technology” while things are “cradled in the respectful idiom of art, craftsmanship, and poetry” (2288). In his eyes, things have “rich and complicated qualities” that should be celebrated as being different from mere objects (2289). Based on Latour’s definitions, I think the booksellers at John K. King would consider books as celebrated things as opposed to objects. In an interview, one of the booksellers told a Detroit news program that “the books are very much something special” and that “reading is an emotional experience” (Detroit Gems). It’s clear that the booksellers at John K. King don’t think of their books as regular products; they value books and literature for the ideas and emotions they provide customers.

Of course, since John K. King holds so many books, it’s possible that the booksellers don’t think of every single book as a valuable, celebrated thing. Would the books about engineering on the second floor be considered things as valuable as the books of poetry on the first floor? If we use Latour’s distinction between objects and things, wouldn’t the books about math on the second floor fall into the category of “empty mastery of science and technology”? Or are they special because they provide educational insights into this empty mastery? In John K. King Used and Rare Books, we see how the collection of so many different types of books in one space can complicate Latour’s ideas of objects and things.

 

Images

“More Books” staircase: https://www.instagram.com/p/0VP4Fxu0_P/?taken-by=johnkingbooksdetroit

Map of store: https://www.facebook.com/officialjohnkingbooks/photos/pb.214267872096283.-2207520000.1458531161./430465310476537/?type=3&theater

Phone: http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/95824314853/the-store-is-so-big-that-we-have-phones-on-the

Environment shelf: http://www.kingbooksdetroit.com/preview-of-our-store/6gedta0hllbpmxlq1g1iuzj71ap5q3

Books on table (juvenile nonfiction section): http://www.kingbooksdetroit.com/preview-of-our-store/a8rh7va0d2yhazolyztbl32qdz00bo

Front counter: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/john-k-king-books-detroit-2?select=BZkn2MiOZSx6McsrIJ4FLg

Stairway painting: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/john-k-king-books-detroit-2?select=fjr-mldxIJRCRfpuf58RjA

Entrance: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/john-k-king-books-detroit-2?select=T3iqN4gAnXMqiojktCDkng

Stairway (art): http://www.kingbooksdetroit.com/preview-of-our-store/j35cr0dufaezqjunzmjdek5tuzbtce

Shelves (nook): http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/96085002133/lovely-friday-morning-at-the-bookstore-finally

Stairway (3rd floor): http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/john-k-king-books-detroit-2?select=crqvS9Plq3yB8keCg8a4xw

Shelves (3rd floor): http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/92921062583/sorted-more-books-for-scifi-roleplaying-and-i

Books on floor: http://www.kingbooksdetroit.com/preview-of-our-store/5lnrxoemm0309kqgl2pbc6k3t09pv5

Books on table: http://www.kingbooksdetroit.com/preview-of-our-store/l88lz1r1d9duu4xbq1t54p0ndk9fvl

Slideshow images:

  1. http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/97965352423/opening-up-for-this-saturday-weather-is-good
  2. http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/97731818698/the-books-are-going-up-by-the-hundreds-on-the-4th
  3. http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/101871900093/we-have-got-some-heat-going-on-in-the-bookstore
  4. http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/98825232023/it-is-cozy-in-here-folks-fine-book-shopping
  5. http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/98470952678/moved-the-advertising-books-to-be-be-with-the
  6. http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/98892601893/sorting-books-this-is-axtuallt-the-best-part-of
  7. http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/104438849723/moving-it-was-no-fun-but-maybe-you-will-enjoy-some
  8. http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/post/104766260853/we-have-aisles-of-gardening-books-maybe-you-could

Exterior of building: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/600×315/4e/15/e8/4e15e8fe487b11df0bbdfd5e5831808d.jpg

“I’d rather get lost” note: https://www.instagram.com/p/zSwcEWu0xH/?taken-by=johnkingbooksdetroit

4th floor: https://www.instagram.com/p/_47Vi0u01D/?taken-by=johnkingbooksdetroit

Books on table: http://www.kingbooksdetroit.com/preview-of-our-store/dimeodichik00zwywcjhmy9lwawno5

 

Maps

https://www.thinglink.com

 

Videos

Detroit Gems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euJpR4pINEg

Literary Tourist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS0oUuFHuMY

50 Year Staple of Detroit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEALEiSiSCc

 

Websites

John K. King Used and Rare Books: http://www.kingbooksdetroit.com/

John K. King Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnkingbooks

John K. King Tumblr: http://johnkingbooks.tumblr.com/

John K. King Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnkingbooksdetroit/

John K. King Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialjohnkingbooks/

 

Texts

Benjamin, Walter. Illuminations. Ed. Hannah Arendt. Trans. Harry Zohn. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968. Print.

Latour, Bruno. Why Has Critique Run Out of Steam? Print.