書店存在於社會的功能,首先可以從其作為一個單純銷售書籍或各類出版品的單位來看,書店多半被列屬於出版產業的一環,座落在產業的末端,扮演直接面對消費者的角色。當前書店的產業內部面臨傳統書店式微、通路獨大、成為書籍行銷競爭場域等現象,外部環境則有整體社會閱讀風氣低迷和消費習慣的轉向等問題。隨著「獨立書店」此一類型的書店們出面集結聯盟,以欲對抗這些趨勢的同時,我們或許可以重新思考,書店是否僅作為一個銷售書籍產品的通路?書店除了扮演銷售書籍以及傳遞訊息的作用,長時間來看,其或許更有著作為投射一個社會文化脈動的可能。 回顧臺灣書店產業的研究發現,當中有相當高的比例是針對當前主流的連鎖與網路書店通路,來作為研究對象,少有直接針對小型、具特色性的小型「獨立書店」進行討論。「獨立書店」隱含著強調連結人與書店關係的社群經營特性,之於當前整體書店產業的發展,有著極大的差異性與象徵性。本研究挑選九間臺灣具代表性的「獨立書店」作為研究對象,以質性研究方式,深度訪談「獨立書店」中扮演關鍵性角色的經營端,以探討此類型書店在社群經營上的特性和存在於社會的文化價值。 研究發現,「獨立書店」的社群經營特性,是以「獨立書店」和經營者作為中介者,並在與不同對象之間,建立強調情感和互動的連結關係。「獨立書店」在建構了從「空間」到「地方」的意義時,除了讓個人成為附有歸屬情感的社群,進一步透過「社群意識」的建構,更讓其呈現了多重性的社會意義。而對於當前「獨立書店」所遭遇的生存困境,研究也從政府和產業內部面向給予未來發展的建議,期許「獨立書店」帶給臺灣社會更多元化且具差異性的社群組成樣貌。
The function of the existence of bookstores in the society can, at a first glance, be seen as a unit of the sales of books or various publications, in which bookstores are categorized as the bottommost segment of the publishing industry and are responsible for the direct contact with consumers. Nowadays the internal structure of bookstore industry is faced with the decline of traditional bookstores, the problem of monopolized sales channels, and the mutual competition amongst sales venues. As for the external environment, there are the issues of a declining trend in reading and the transition of consumption habits. While independent bookstores have come forward in alliance so as to fight against these trends, the public might at the same time reconsider the role of bookstores as a mere sales channel of books. In addition to the sales of books and the delivery of messages, in the long term, bookstores might also carry the possibility of reflecting our social and cultural dynamic. After a thorough review of the research on Taiwanese bookstore industry, it can be inferred that a considerably high percentage of research focuses on the mainstream chain stores and on-line bookstores, whereas there is little discussion on the smaller-scaled, characteristic independent bookstores. Independent bookstores implicitly emphasize the connection between readers and bookstores in terms of community management. Compared with the overall development of bookstore industry, independent bookstores embrace a greater diversity and symbolic meaning. This research paper selects nine representational independent bookstores in Taiwan as research subjects. The author attempts to carry out a qualitative research method by interviewing the operators, who play a key role in independent bookstores. This way the author discusses in depth the attributes of such bookstores in terms of community management and their cultural value in the society. The research results revealed the attributes in community management of independent bookstores. They serve as a moderator between bookstore managers and readers as well as building up a connective relationship that emphasizes on affection and interaction. While constructing the meaning from “space” to “place,” in addition to transforming individuals into a community with a sense of belonging, they furthermore represent multi-layered social meanings through the construction of a sense of community. As for the current survival jeopardy faced by independent bookstores, this research also provides insights on the future development from the perspective of government policies and the internal structure of the industry, with the expectation that independent bookstores will be able to bring Taiwanese society a more multi-faceted and dissimilar manifestation of community construction.