[WEB4LIB] Is the milk in the back? (was Re: Alta Vista's

[Paul Deane]

I have found that libraries and book stores usually have science fiction in 
the back or the far corner of the basement.  Harlan Ellison even wrote a 
story about it.  Does this qualify as the milk in the back?


Paul Deane
Head of Technical Services
Round Lake Area Library
906 Hart Road
Round Lake, IL 60073
pdeane at rla.lib.il.us
voice: 847-546-7060
fax: 847-546-7104

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From: 	Nick Arnett[SMTP:listbot at mccmedia.com]
Reply To: 	listbot at mccmedia.com
Sent: 	Tuesday, April 20, 1999 9:53 PM
To: 	Multiple recipients of list
Subject: 	[WEB4LIB] Is the milk in the back? (was Re: Alta Vista's

At 05:12 PM 4/20/99 -0700, Dan Kelley wrote:


>Jeez, why didn't anyone tell me this when I was in library school?


I have a serious question related to this, though it may sound a bit
humorous.  Do libraries often "put the milk in the back of the
store?"  Grocery stores put milk in the back because it is the item people
are most likely to buy, thus they must pass and see other temptations.  Do
libraries consciously put the most popular resources in the back, in hopes
of exposing patrons to resources they might not have seen?  Or is the
attitude more often that the patron can be counted upon to explore, so the
most popular resources should be in the most convenient locations, for
efficiency?

I expect that advertising-driven Web resources are already putting the milk 

in the back, but I haven't taken the time to verify this.

Nick