e-book illegibility
"finding the book, selecting it/putting it in a shopping cart, checkout, then receiving an activation code via e-mail, etc. The potential problems include: the e-mails often go into junk filters or are not received, the activation fails, the book download fails, and/or browser compatibility issues arise."
Book Business
Forget navigational issues. Time loading and rendering and blank screen moments and browser errors are equivalent to smudges and torn out pages.
new rehousing
The library and archive preservation field has inspired, through research and practice, the rehousing of collections. The process exchanges damaging enclosures for non-damaging and improves collection organization and retrieval.
This continuous rehousing effort has been a success story and venders have strategically joined the effort with the needed advocacy, design, investment and supplies manufacturing.
Now we need a new momentum and again the venders and restoration industry can work with us. We need to locate collections and interpretive exhibits in larger protective "rehousings". These new rehousings can be both installed storage and mobile containers, they can feature temporary power independance, stand-alone control and aisles both for evacuation or compaction routines. These collection protection zones can benefit access and collection order and can displace concern for collections before disaster imposes many other priorities. The macro rehousing program could benefit the smallest institutions most. Their collections are most diverse and their exhibits are most complex, yet they have few resources to survive disruptions.
Exactly because the library and archive preservation field is focused on tangible collections the field should now protect collections and exhibits so effectively that they can be discounted at times of disaster. With this strategy the inefficiencies of post event collection salvage need not displace or distract other recovery actions.
dark matter
Opaque, mute and immutable, paper books can appear obsolete. But it turns out that opacity, muteness and immutability are attributes. They enable self-authentication that a fixed and obvious encompass of content provides; the reader can actually know what is there and what is missing and confirm that over and over across time. Artifactual witness of time and place is also an allure. Other efficiencies of haptic navigation built into the paper book add to quick comprehension of content. Best of all physical books enable utilities of endless electronic indexing because they do not change. Physical books are the dark matter of digital libraries.
flight of the condor II
"One of the most important library repositories of Arequipa is the Franciscan library of the Recolecion de San Jenaro, or “The Recoleta” as it is commonly known. It is located in a “large and well-illuminated room over the cloister of the gate-keeper, with book shelves of wood on two levels.” "
The
sequel is coming up soon.
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