Bookstores preserve collections amid industry challenges

Albuquerque’s new Bookish New and Used Book Store has reopened the collection of the recently closed Under Charlie’s Covers, with owner Angela Shiver shelving about 60,000 books and building a digital inventory. The store’s opening reflects the ongoing appeal of independent bookstores, while a separate report highlights the steep decline in Black-owned bookstores and the efforts of entrepreneurs to open and sustain new shops. In Beaune, France, antiquarian bookseller Gilles Bouche likewise emphasizes careful cataloging as a way to preserve books and cultural heritage that might otherwise be discarded.