7 ms·

So what would I like to see happen? Get rid of the dead trees, but don't stop there. It sounds like you want to get rid of books ("dead trees"), but maybe you

by qjz 16y ago

So what would I like to see happen? Get rid of the dead trees, but don't stop there. It sounds like you want to get rid of books ("dead trees"), but maybe you got a little overexcited. I just went to the library today, to return and check out some books. It's a nice break from the time I spend behind a computer, and e-books don't interest me that much. But while I was there, a group of toddlers were engaged in a singalong, and several people were browsing the web on library computers. Now, some libraries are better than others (for some strange reason, our local library only has one terminal dedicated to searching the catalog, so you have to wait if someone else is using it and you can't simply use one of the web PCs without signing up for a session, plus there's no wifi), but the trend is definitely toward improving the library as a community resource. The bigger problem is the lack of funding and other resources. If you want to help your library develop along these lines, volunteer, donate, vote and/or simply ask accordingly.

blhack 16y ago
You make a good point. It was mistaken to say "get rid of the dead trees", what I meant was "get rid of the idea that the main focus of your establishment should be dead trees."
- Herring 16y ago
  >mistaken Eh. Maybe books are not quite dead yet, but they do have a terminal disease. We all can see it, I don't know why we tiptoe around it.
  - easp 16y ago
    Books still have many things going for them. Once they are produced, the only infrastructure they require is literacy and something to keep them dry. Once you have a book, you can do almost anything you want with it, including give it or sell it to someone else, who will have the same rights you had. Copyright does apply to books, of course, but with books, the concept of fair use is well ensconced, and not encumbered by EULAs and "click-wrap" terms of use. So yes, books may well be terminal, but if they die, we risk loosing something more than just a stack of dead tree we can hold in our hands.
    - Herring 16y ago
      I can't see that you disagreed with me, & I don't disagree with you either. Something's always lost in these 'revolutions', but we always gain more than we lose. That's why we're switching mediums in the first place.

by qjz 16y ago

blhack 16y ago

You make a good point. It was mistaken to say "get rid of the dead trees", what I meant was "get rid of the idea that the main focus of your establishment should be dead trees."

Herring 16y ago
>mistaken Eh. Maybe books are not quite dead yet, but they do have a terminal disease. We all can see it, I don't know why we tiptoe around it.
- easp 16y ago
  Books still have many things going for them. Once they are produced, the only infrastructure they require is literacy and something to keep them dry. Once you have a book, you can do almost anything you want with it, including give it or sell it to someone else, who will have the same rights you had. Copyright does apply to books, of course, but with books, the concept of fair use is well ensconced, and not encumbered by EULAs and "click-wrap" terms of use. So yes, books may well be terminal, but if they die, we risk loosing something more than just a stack of dead tree we can hold in our hands.
  - Herring 16y ago
    I can't see that you disagreed with me, & I don't disagree with you either. Something's always lost in these 'revolutions', but we always gain more than we lose. That's why we're switching mediums in the first place.