"Top 1000"

[kelber at mindspring.com]

It seems the list reflects not what librarians think people SHOULD read, but what they WILL read.  I guess that means that librarians see themselves more as public servants than as educators.  Too bad.  My own local branch library contains a huge collection of books in Hebrew, Russian and Urdu -- it would definitely skew the list.

Laura
-----Original Message-----
>From: Ghetta Life <ghetta_outta at hotmail.com>
>Sent: Mar 21, 2006 10:39 AM
>To: pynchon-l at waste.org
>Subject: RE: "Top 1000"
>
>
>Note, not one book by Pynchon is included in this Top 1000 list.  It does 
>contain many great works, also including audio recordings of ceratin 
>symphonies.  But it ranks "Garfield at Large" as #15!  It also includes 
>other comic strip collections (Doonesbury,Far Side, Dilbert).  And it 
>includes FIVE Harry Potter books.  And let's not forget to include "Left 
>Behind" and "Dianetics."
>
>This is a list that librarians have chosen as "worth owning" in their 
>library, and not one book by Pynchon!
>
>Ghetta
>
>>From: "Ghetta Life" <ghetta_outta at hotmail.com>>
>>
>>http://www.oclc.org/research/top1000/complete.htm
>>
>>This list, updated for 2005, contains the "Top 1000" titles owned by OCLC 
>>(Online Computer Library Center) member libraries—the intellectual works 
>>that have been judged to be worth owning by the "purchase vote" of 
>>libraries around the globe.
>
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