Value Added: Book Covers Provide Additional Impetus for Academic Library Patrons to Check Out Books

Authors

  • Steven A. Knowlton
  • Lauren N. Hackert

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5860/lrts.59n3.112

Abstract

Publishers attract readers to books and inform them about the books’ contents by adding information to the books’ covers. In many academic libraries, the dust jackets of cloth-bound books are discarded. This study was a physical inventory of 1,319 recently published books in an academic library, and comparison of circulation statistics between different cover types. By every measure, books with publisher-supplied information on the cover circulated at a higher rate than books with plain covers. The implications of our findings for collection management are discussed.

Author Biographies

Steven A. Knowlton

Steven A. Knowlton (steven.knowlton@memphis.edu) is Collection Development Librarian, University of Memphis Libraries.

Lauren N. Hackert

Lauren N. Hackert was a Library Assistant for Collection Development, University of Memphis Libraries.

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Published

2015-07-21

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Section

Features