New Fiction,Adult Education,and the Library

Although sales of popular fiction are increasing steadily, the number of serious novelists able to support themselves by writing is decreasing. Because early library emphasis on raising popular taste has lessened and adult education efforts within libraries have diminished, libraries are often held responsible for the novelists' plight. In addition, adult education in general has moved from an emphasis on the liberal arts to a concentration on practical, "how-to" courses. The Great Book Discussion Program was the last major liberal arts adult education effort sponsored by a library. A program for discussion of subsidized quality new fiction is proposed. Novelists would be subsidized by library purchases. Such discussion groups would sometimes appear on a related public television show. The plan would provide fiction with a springboard other than publishers' promotions and literary establishment endorsements.