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I agree they are symbolic, but I believe we should see them as a symbol of how much knowledge has been created that yet remains potentially untapped and unexplo

I agree they are symbolic, but I believe we should see them as a symbol of how much knowledge has been created that yet remains potentially untapped and unexplored. https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/03/24/umberto-eco-antilibrary/ https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/03/24/umberto-eco-antili... I'm sure people would make an argument to the effect that writing that has existed for X years or decades would have already been tapped if it was of any value, and I would respond by saying many publications make little impact on their contemporaries only to be discovered later to have been ahead of their time. If we start using "engagement" as a metric for the retention of writing, then knowledge will suffer under the tyranny of the majority. Instead I think the most unread books in a library should be celebrated and promoted by the librarians for the sake of having been unread, even if it ends up being kind of funny how bad they are.

liontwist 2y ago
Sounds like a noble project. Why does each University need to do that though? > many publications make little impact on their contemporaries only to be discovered later to have been ahead of their time. I would say this is evidence that books do not represent a "infinitely growing body of human knowledge". Knowledge is only alive in the people using it.
cudgy 2y ago
“If we start using "engagement" as a metric for the retention of writing, then knowledge will suffer under the tyranny of the majority.” Wow, that is so well written. It summarizes many of the problems of today and the disappointing aspects of technological effort and its applications.