Give Geography its Place (GGiP): bookshops

It does not stop with Bookshops John has created a letter for libraries here

Follow the progress of this sub campaign on the sln thread (thanks Kate)

In your local bookshop take a look around, do they have a Geography section? If so , what types of books does it include? How long is the section? Are the Geography books in a section called “Geography”?

Action Committee member John Tomlinson has introduced me to this issue and so I went down to my local bookshop (a well know chain) and as John suggested not a Geography section in sight. When I asked where the Geography books were located I was directed towards the “Travel” section, and then onto a shelve of OS maps.

It is not only important that Geography is labelled as a section by Bookshops, its lack of acknowledgement has wider consequences for public awareness of the importance of the subject. Some of the key issues we face now and into the future are Geographical in nature, however are not called so.

Geographers lets do something about it…

Visit your local bookshop(s) before Friday 1^st June and complete a quick survey:

Does the shop have a Geography section?
If so, is it called a Geography section?
Are their Geography books within this section?
How long (if they have one) is this section?

On Monday 4^th June if you are not happy with the Geography focus of the bookshop:

Print off and send them this letter, (Scottish version here) or even send by fax or email. You can adapt the letter in anyway you see fit.

Make sure you send a copy to your local paper also

Any Bookshops that you were impressed with in terms of their “Geography ” section please email me adtastic2001@yahoo.co.uk with the details and I will contact them directly.

Please visit as many bookshops as you can. Take photographs if you like and pretty much do anything to Give Geography its Place.

Some well known Bookshop's contact information here:

Waterstones including Ottakars

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayMailUs.do

WH Smiths

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/whs/go.asp?menu=WHSmithnet&pagedef=/help/contact.htm&promotion=footer_contact_us#customerservice

Blackwell

http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/contact.jsp;jsessionid=48B6B0A276EB505823270548C5E238F5.bobcatt2

Borders

http://www.bordersstores.co.uk/contactus/