Pragmatism vs. Idealism (from blyberg.net)

I really enjoyed reading ALA Editions author John Blyberg’s post Pragmatism vs. Idealism, which is a continuation of a thread (with links for latecomers) discussing collection development practice. He brings in the idea of ensuring the availability of long tail books as he suggests an intermediate position for libraries. Best bit (IMHO):

“Without provisioning for the popular stuff, you get a lifeless, disembodied tail. Without the tail, you get a Borders.”

John is currently writing The 24-Hour Branch: Library Websites That Connect with Customers, available in the coming year from Editions.