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QUESTION: Publisher's Weekly, and others' near-monopoly on library collections

Submitted by Anonymooose on Sat, 02/28/2009 - 11:32am
question / pregunta: 

I'm having a hard time finding information on this issue. I am looking for some sources/information relating to publications like PW, Library Journal, and Booklist. It seems like the majority of libraries use these few publications to develop their collections and I would like to know the politics of what determines which titles get printed/reviewed in PW, LJ, etc. I'm looking for info on things like: are the review publications and titles that it reviews owned by the same company, do publishers pay to have titles favorably reviewed, are certain big sellers not allowed to be reviewed too poorly? Simply put, I'm looking for some dirt on these publications, so I can look at them more critically. Also, any recommendations of review materials that cover things more independently, or focus on marginalized publications like leftist politics, or small press fiction?

Answers

Answer posted by: Alycia

Very briefly, to help with suggestions of library world publications with more of a lefty perspective:

Counterpoise often reviews lefty publications regularly. I know that they depend on volunteer reviewers to provide content (I am not sure how this might compare to the other library publications you mention above).
For more info: www.counterpoise.info

You may also want to look into the Alternative Press Index:
"The Alternative Press Index (API) was born with the New Left of the 1960's. It was launched in 1969 to provide access to the practices and theories of radical social change. The Index is international and interdisciplinary, spanning the social sciences and humanities, with its central focus on the practice and theory of socialism, national liberation, labor, indigenous peoples, gays/lesbians, feminism, ecology, democracy, and anarchism. It strives to be as comprehensive as possible."

API indexes and annotates more serial (magazine or newspaper) articles, but includes a wide variety of small press titles.
Their website: www.altpress.org/mod/pages/display/8/index.php?menu=

I am not sure how either of these would play into requirements for librarians to have materials (positively) reviewed before they can be added to library collections. I am eager to hear what information others may have on this topic.