It　is　desirable　to　have　a　mutual　understanding　between　the　book　market　and　publiclibraries．　However，　in　reality，　the　book　market　criticises　public　libraries　for　diminishing　theirsales　by　lending　too　many　bestselling　books．　What　lies　behind　this　claim　is　the　fact　thatconsideration　of　various　stakeholders　has　been　ignored　by　the　public　libraries　and　one　solutionto　this　is　for　them　offer　different　services　from　that　of　the　market．　　　A　qualitative　examination　was　conducted　of　how　each　stakeholder　recognises　the　publiclibrary　and　why　differences　in　recognition　occurred，　in　order　to　reveal　the　relationship　betweenstakeholders’　and　the　public　libraries．　lnterviews　were　conducted　of　authors，　publishers，distributors，　retail　bookstores　and　second－hand　booksellers．　The　results　clearly　demonstratedthat　stakeholders　have　suspicions　about　the　“public　responsibility”　of　libraries．　Moreover，　thesesuspicions　increase　when　it　comes　to　the　upstream　of　the　book　market　i．e．　authors，　publishersand　distributors，　and　this　group　asserts　copyright　issues．　There　are　gaps　between　upstream　anddownstream，　originating　in　power　differentials　in　controlling　interests．　　　In　conclusion，　it　is　suggested　that　the　identity　of　the　public　library　will　be　fully　establishedonly　by　offering　a　service　based　upon　“public　responsibility”　and　not　on　the　market　mechanism．