Kindle user verbally assaulted

[msjones]

An old-fashioned book-lover let me have it the other day! I showed her my new Kindle, knowing she is a serious book-lover. I specifically mentioned how much I have enjoyed all of the free classics available from Amazon. She was horrified that I would own one, saying that e-books-- the free ones in particular-- are ruining the lives of authors and destroying the livelihoods of book-store owners.

 

I wasn't prepared to defend my e-book reading behavior or the 20 free classics I had in my purse.

 

I think it's safe to assume that the free downloads from Amazon are not pirated copies. I also thought it was safe to assume that the other books for sale on Amazon are there with permission from the publishers.

 

And, as for ruining small book stores.... sorry...but I think it's a bit like ruining the livelihood of record stores or video rental shops or pay-phone manufacturers. Those shop owners must have seen it coming. Time, progress, and technology march on.

 

Fellow Kindle/Nook/other ebook reader owners, what are your thoughts? Have you been confronted in this way. How have you responded? Do you feel any remorse when you download a book?

[asta]

Is she picketing Gutenberg.org as well?

[nmoira]

 

Is she picketing Gutenberg.org as well?

*snicker*

[mrs.m]

How does she feel about the public library?

[Satori]

A bunch of Kindle lovers had this experience on another forum I frequent. So I know that there are people out there who are adamantly against these little devices!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm adamantly opposed to getting one for myself. But I can't imagine why I would care if other people use one. My brother and I have a friendly argument going about it (he's pro, I'm con) but it is about our personal preferences only.

[LibraryLover]

So far, I don't want one, but I know there are a lot of opinions out there. ;)

 

Did she actually verbally assault you, threaten you, or did she disagree with the use of Kindle?

 

Verbally assaulted to me is when people threaten you, like if someone thinks you are driving too slowly & gives you the middle finger and an Eff You ! as they speed around your car. Or maybe, 'You are an idiot for voting for that guy! How stupid are you?!"

 

Spirited disagreement and strong opinions are not usually assault.

[Perry]

Are the authors making less money? Why would that be? Their percent cut should stay the same.

 

One of my major reasons for buying a Kindle is because it's so much better environmentally. Small bookstores have already been destroyed by megastores, so I doubt the Kindle is going to have much more impact.

 

I haven't had that argument yet, but if someone brings it up, I'll tell them how many trees I'm saving. :D

[Blue Hen]

How do you like your Kindle? I've been thinking of getting one---

Carole

[msjones]

So far, I don't want one, but I know there are a lot of opinions out there. ;)

 

Did she actually verbally assault you, threaten you, or did she disagree with the use of Kindle?

 

Verbally assaulted to me is when people threaten you, like if someone thinks you are driving too slowly & gives you the middle finger and an Eff You ! as they speed around your car. Or maybe, 'You are an idiot for voting for that guy! How stupid are you?!"

 

Spirited disagreement and strong opinions are not usually assault.

 

Maybe you missed the little blue winking icon in the title of my thread; it was there to indicate that the term 'assault' was intended to be humorous.

[RegGuheert]

 

Are the authors making less money? Why would that be? Their percent cut should stay the same.

I think they should make MORE money, since the books can no longer be shared in the same ways a physical book can be shared.

[hsmom3tn]

I'm adamantly opposed to getting one for myself. But I can't imagine why I would care if other people use one.

 

:iagree:

 

I don't want one because I would rather have an actual book in my hand.

 

I can see how it might be affecting the smaller book stores, but they've been in trouble since the bigger chains came along anyway. I don't think the bigger book stores will be hurt much by them. :)

[HRAAB]

I'm holding out on getting one. I will not cave in, I will not.... I love holding books. But that's what I said about cell phones.

 

I think the little, independent book stores have already largely been driving out of business by the internet and big chains like B&N.

[Anne]

I love the Kindle app on my itouch when I travel. It is a HUGE space saver for me! Now I don't have to lug along a suitcase full of books every time I go anywhere! I can't imagine sitting in my own house reading a device rather than a book - but for travel - I LOVE my Kindle app!!!

 

Anne

[Audrey]

I'm adamantly opposed to getting one for myself. But I can't imagine why I would care if other people use one. My brother and I have a friendly argument going about it (he's pro, I'm con) but it is about our personal preferences only.

 

 

Me too. I don't care if others like them. Personally, I find they lack the class of a real book, but that's just my opinion. :D

[nmoira]

Edited to add: I think ebooks are the way of the future. However, I don't think we should let Amazon, or any other single company be the driving force behind the structural transformation of the publishing industry. Readers, authors, researchers, etc. need to have voices as well.

 

Proprietary Books. Is this what we want? Think about it.

 

Cory Doctorow has lots of interesting things to say about ebooks from the pov of both authors and readers. Here's an excerpt from a 2009 interview.

So, how do we get to open standards

is probably a better question and I think we need to focus on bringing these companies to account. So, I don’t think it’s good news that Kindle books are available on the iPhone, I think that’s pathological news. Why should we need a business arrangement so that you can play books that you bought and paid for on another device?

 

SARA: And it’s extremely US-centric.

 

CORY

DOCTOROW

: Right, I mean saying we can now read Kindle books on the iPhone should be as weird as saying that we can read Bantam books in easy chairs. Bantam shouldn’t have any say on what kind of chair you’re sitting on when you’re reading the book.

Amazon shouldn’t have any say over which device you’re using when you’re reading the book. You’re buying the book, it should be yours.

 

SARA: Yes, it’s hard for those of us that want to… There’s a lot of temptation because I have three different formats that I want to read and at any time and I think that it’s a big problem with the formatting.

 

CORY

DOCTOROW

:

Right, and you point out something important which is that people who don’t want to pay, people who are pirates, don’t get bothered by the DRM, they go out and buy the cracked books or download the cracked books for free.

It’s only people who are foolish enough to pay for them that get locked into these platforms.

Some articles:

 

Why free ebooks should be a part of the plot for writers

Even Amazon can't keep its EULA story straight

Ebook license "agreements" are a ripoff

Amazon and Macmillan go to war

 

Videos:

Edited January 31, 2010 by nmoira

[kalanamak]

She was horrified that I would own one, saying that e-books-- the free ones in particular-- are ruining the lives of authors and destroying the livelihoods of book-store owners.

 

Tell her you know a great place to buy wooden shoes, cheap.

[gardening momma]

I'm holding out on getting one. I will not cave in, I will not.... I love holding books. But that's what I said about cell phones.

What, that you love holding a big phone receiver with a curly cord attached to it? :D (jk)

[Perry]

How do you like your Kindle? I've been thinking of getting one---

Carole

 

I just got mine on Friday and haven't bought anything yet, so it's too early for me to review it. But I travel quite a bit and am really looking forward to not having to lug a bunch of books around in my bag.

 

My husband has been saying for years that it would be great when books became digital. I was horrified. I argued with him for years about how terrible it would be. But when it comes right down to it, the only benefit I can think of to a paper-and-ink book is sentimental value. There are probably others, but for me it's mainly about holding the book vs. holding the Kindle. We are heavy library users and rarely buy books, and we don't have that many books in the house. So that won't change.

 

I'll post in a few days after I've actually used it some.

[Melinda in VT]

I love the Kindle app on my itouch when I travel. It is a HUGE space saver for me! Now I don't have to lug along a suitcase full of books every time I go anywhere! I can't imagine sitting in my own house reading a device rather than a book - but for travel - I LOVE my Kindle app!!!

 

Anne

 

I've been thinking I might want one for travel, but then I realized that I often swap books with DH and our oldest son, and I'm not sure I can justify buying three Kindles.

[Spy Car]

I'm of mixed mind. My father was/is a collector of rare books. I grew up with a love of typography and book design, and in school learned to set type (both my hand and mechanical methods) and to print on everything from hand-pulled platen presses, to off-set machines.

 

I love books, good paper and the printing arts.

 

Not to mention the joy I've taken in the countless haunting book-sellers (both new and used) in search of interesting materials. As one great independent bookstore after another shutters its doors, I find it tremendously sad (if not painful). S we lose these emporiums we lose something of real value, including staffs that can "turn us on" to great works we might never have discovered on our own.

 

With or without e-books we are losing these treasured bookstores. In Los Angeles it has been a truly painful process to watch. If e-books are a final nail in the coffin, as they may well prove, they will come with a cost.

 

That said, technologies change economic realities. I do think authors ought to be able to flourish in an e-book environment. And, since what is being "sold" is content (as opposed to printing presses, paper, warehousing, transportation and distribution) author's may yet prove to benefit from e-books.

 

But not local book-sellers. Those who've compared bookstores with record shops I think are (sadly) making an apt comparison. For years I supported our local independent bookstores by making all my purchases though them rather than the chains even when it cost me a little more. But that didn't save them. I wish it were other-wise.

 

As much as I love books (real books, and there are few enough of those these days, printed on acid-free paper with sewn (not glued) bindings) I look forward to eventually owning an e-book.

 

My particular interest is tapping into the long out of print books that Google and other are making available. Works that (in the main) can't be purchased easily or without great expense.

 

I do see access to a great library becoming democratized, especially as the price of e-readers falls (as they must).

 

Will I always be nostalgic for a finely printed book? Absolutely!

 

Will I greatly feel the cultural loss as the last of independent booksellers shut their doors? Hugely so! It's a pain I feel to my core.

 

But I don't feel there's any stopping it. E-books or not.

 

The world will be different. And I hope the benefits of these emerging technologies out weighs the painful disruptions to our cultural life.

 

Bill

[swimmermom3]

I think it's time for me to ask an ignorant question that has been gnawing at me with regards to Kindles and the disposal of books. Is it easier for a limited number of people to control information dissemination with the removal of tangible products (books)?

 

I am not aware of the legalities involved with producing works for Kindle so this may be overreaching, I don't know. What if I write a book that is political in nature and it is distributed only electronically? We're saving the trees, etc. In twenty years, a government that is not happy with the viewpoint expressed in the book comes into power. How easy is it to remove that book, those thoughts, those different perspectives from existence altogether? The book could be altered and there would be no "hard" copies to compare with?

[coffeefreak]

I think they should make MORE money, since the books can no longer be shared in the same ways a physical book can be shared.

 

It's true! I hate Kindles simply because my girlfriend is no longer able to pass books on to me that she's read and is done with! My life as a moocher is over! I now have to *SOB* buy my own books:svengo:

[Blue Hen]

I'll post in a few days after I've actually used it some.

 

I'm looking forward to your post.

 

carole

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I am interested in owning a large size Kindle for the old time books on Google, but it is not affordable to us yet.

 

I would hope and think that there would still be a need for books though. I know that some students who trialled Kindle textbooks found them less than satisfactory since you cannot write in them or flag them unless I am wrong;).

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I think it's time for me to ask an ignorant question that has been gnawing at me with regards to Kindles and the disposal of books. Is it easier for a limited number of people to control information dissemination with the removal of tangible products (books)?

 

I am not aware of the legalities involved with producing works for Kindle so this may be overreaching, I don't know. What if I write a book that is political in nature and it is distributed only electronically? We're saving the trees, etc. In twenty years, a government that is not happy with the viewpoint expressed in the book comes into power. How easy is it to remove that book, those thoughts, those different perspectives from existence altogether? The book could be altered and there would be no "hard" copies to compare with?

 

Or what if they are lost? I do not like the potential prospects of that. Hopefully it will be done right as in our present internet with net neutrality allowing the gamut of liberal to conservative voices to be heard;)

[TravelingChris]

I don't buy reading books that are new hardly at all- probably one every two years. Then I almost always buy paperbacks which cost less than an ebook. I don't tend to read very many classics except classic mysteries which I get at the library. I could maybe see getting one for dh as he travels a lot. I am normally travelling by car and can take my paperbacks and magazines with me.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I don't buy reading books that are new hardly at all- probably one every two years. Then I almost always buy paperbacks which cost less than an ebook. I don't tend to read very many classics except classic mysteries which I get at the library. I could maybe see getting one for dh as he travels a lot. I am normally travelling by car and can take my paperbacks and magazines with me.

 

This a good point as well. What will happen to the used book market? I am not sure if I would like an e-book only world:(

[MamaT]

I love books. I have thousands of books and have a library in my home. I never thought I would enjoy an e-reader. My Christmas present from dh was a nook. I absolutely love it. It can't replace my "real" books, but I love being able to slip it in my purse and go - with LOTS of books.

 

I'm not sure about all the more serious implications of e-readers, but I am enjoying my nook.

[hornblower]

I spent the day today with my writing buddies at an annual Valentine's brunch event (early this year, obviously LOL). One of the things we do is that a person (or persons) who had their first sale the previous year gives a speech. Our first sale award speech this year was from someone who is e-pubbed only & he (yes, he, and yes, it's a romance writers group) discussed the issues surrounding e-pub and whether he'd pursue publication in traditional media or not.

 

The pay structure in e-pub is different - it varies from pub to pub but generally speaking, there's no advance & royalties are actually higher on e-pub. Hwvr, editorial support is lower - therefore quality of the books can be lower. Marketing tends to be lower also and therefore overall sales (& income) are lower. There is at least one member in my group though who is focused exlusively on e-pubb'ing. She's multi, multi pubbed in mainstream and erotic romance and does not want to make the jump to trad. She really thinks this is the wave of the future and her career is certainly doing well.

 

Of course there's a whole other issue of books which are published in trad format AND e-pub. Some people worry that e-pubbed copies are easier to share & therefore end up costing the author as the author will not collect royalties. OTOH, libraries, book sharing, used book stores etc have been around a long time as well. There will always be people who will buy a book and others who just want to read it for free.

 

Writing for a living IS hard & I think it's harder than it's been in the past. I don't think I'd blame e-pubbing or e-books for this - it's a function of the marketplace being flooded and everyone trying to grab a piece of the pie, poor economy, and huge demands on people's time which leads to a reduction in time spent reading.....

[LibraryLover]

Maybe you missed the little blue winking icon in the title of my thread; it was there to indicate that the term 'assault' was intended to be humorous.

 

 

Crime/abuse words are tricky in written jokes. As for the winky it's not clear exactly what the winky is for. Kindle use? The Luddite who doesn't want to use a kindle? The word assault?

Edited February 1, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Jayne J]

But, when the Electromagnetic Pulse comes, my books will still work...:D

 

 

Wooden shoe owners of the world, arise! :tongue_smilie:

[torikei]

I was so against e-books until I saw the Kindle and realized what it would mean to me. NO more getting rid of books because there isn't enough space. No more dragging a separate suitcase on vacation just for my books. I bought the Kindle 1 and loved it. I love the Kindle 2 even more. I do keep my absolute favorites in print--ya know just in case of the electromagnet weapon thingie :tongue_smilie:

 

Tori

[Heather in Neverland]

wow. That woman needs to get a life. That's like yelling at someone for using a computer instead of feather and ink. Paper books are great...I have lots of them...but you can't fight technology! :D

[April in NC]

I never thought I would like to read a book on a screen. I finally got a Kindle a year ago, and I couldn't believe it. You can lose yourself in it just as well as in a book. You totally forget what you are reading it on. And, for someone like me who gets migraines, no eyestrain from screen glare.

 

I'd always wanted to take advantage of all those books on Gutenberg and other sites that were free, but I couldn't bring myself to read them on the computer, with its screen glare and the ugly plain text formatting. And even paperbacks of the classics are often cheaply made with unpleasant typesetting. They work great on the Kindle, though - look just like any other book!

 

That said, there are books that I wouldn't want to have in a Kindle version. Anything with lots of full color photos, obviously. But also most kinds of reference works. It is a little more difficult to flip back and forth through the pages of a Kindle than it is just flipping to the right spot in a book, so it tends to work best for books that you read straight through. That said, there is the option to make highlights and type in notes, and I have done this quite a bit with the classics that I've read. The notes are collected in a file, and you can reference them and jump directly to the pages from which they were pulled. You can also add bookmarks. Plus there is a search feature, or you can use the Table of Contents. So, it isn't impossible to find passages in the Kindle, just a little less intuitive. Regular reading on the Kindle, however, is very intuitive!

 

When I bought my Kindle I looked at it as paying $250 in order to read all the classics known to mankind. When I looked at it that way, I couldn't afford NOT to get the Kindle!! :D

[Parrothead]

I'm adamantly opposed to getting one for myself. But I can't imagine why I would care if other people use one. My brother and I have a friendly argument going about it (he's pro, I'm con) but it is about our personal preferences only.

:iagree: I could have written that post, brother and all.

 

I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Bibliophiles can be passionate about books.

[Melinda in VT]

wow. That woman needs to get a life. That's like yelling at someone for using a computer instead of feather and ink. Paper books are great...I have lots of them...but you can't fight technology! :D

 

Maybe I misread the OP, but I don't get the impression anyone yelled at her. She mentioned her Kindle to a woman she knows, and the woman shared her opinion of e-readers. I tend to be conflict-averse, so if I were the OP's friend and I felt the same about e-readers, I probably would have just nodded my head and kept quiet, but I don't see that the woman did anything wrong by sharing her opinion.

 

It's not like she walked up to strangers on the street using Kindles and started arguing with them.

[Rhonda in TX]

I think it's time for me to ask an ignorant question that has been gnawing at me with regards to Kindles and the disposal of books. Is it easier for a limited number of people to control information dissemination with the removal of tangible products (books)?

 

I am not aware of the legalities involved with producing works for Kindle so this may be overreaching, I don't know. What if I write a book that is political in nature and it is distributed only electronically? We're saving the trees, etc. In twenty years, a government that is not happy with the viewpoint expressed in the book comes into power. How easy is it to remove that book, those thoughts, those different perspectives from existence altogether? The book could be altered and there would be no "hard" copies to compare with?

 

Sometime last year, Amazon deleted a book off Kindles. No warning and no permission given, from what I understand. The book that was deleted? 1984. Here's an article about it.

 

From what I read in the article, the book should never have been offered as an e-book in the first place. However, the fact that they actually have the capability of doing that is just scary.

 

I think your concern is a valid one.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I have a small concern that the move to E Books creates one more gate keeper in the world of thought and opinion.

 

Here's what I mean. If I want to read the thoughts of F. A. Hayek on economics, I can just find a copy of one of his books. Yes, he had to convince someone at a printing house that it was worthy of publishing. But once the books are created, they aren't particularly ephemeral. We own and we've accessed in research libraries, many books from the WWI era and before. They were published once, sometimes in small runs and never again. But the books themselves prove pretty durable.

 

If we shift to wholesale E book use, then there is a new gatekeeper, the one who arbitrates what works are worthy of becoming digital products. Probably Hayek will end up digitized. But what about the Intimate Papers of Colonel House, the memoirs of Baruch or the German military's series of battlefield histories from each major battle in WWI.

 

And you also add the issue of format endurance. If lots of libaries are convinced that they can digitize their collection and then purge the hard copies, what happens when the format changes or when the files are corrupted? You can often decipher a mildewed, aged, torn piece of text in ways that are not going to work with a corrupted digital file. (As a case in point, there was an article last year about the original footage of the moon landing, which had been recorded in a special format that was no longer used. A couple of technical hobbiests worked to get one version of the appropriate machine working so that these originals could be seen again. All that we had otherwise were recordings of what had been broadcast on tv.)

 

I love Project Gutenburg and the Baldwin Project. I even like Google books for out of copywrite materials like Handbook of Nature Study. But I am mindful of the fact that these sites are possible because physical copies of the original books remain to be carefully typed or digitized.

 

But then I've spent my time in the unheated card catalog room of Library of Congress and waiting patiently for carts to appear at National Archives. I am very aware of that cart full of minutes of the Russian Supply Committee from WWI that sits untranslated and undigitized because of its awkward format. Who knows what wonders of diplomatic history lie within? I don't know if digital publishing would save that cart of mysteries for the ages or doom it to destruction.

[Elinor Everywhere]

I love books. I have thousands of books and have a library in my home. I never thought I would enjoy an e-reader. My Christmas present from dh was a nook. I absolutely love it. It can't replace my "real" books, but I love being able to slip it in my purse and go - with LOTS of books.

 

I'm not sure about all the more serious implications of e-readers, but I am enjoying my nook.

 

This has been my experience, too. I told my dh I did NOT want a Kindle. Said I'd NEVER use one (famous last words). I love the smell and feel of books, I love looking at my crammed bookshelves that grace every room in our house. Other than reading a heavy hardback book in bed, there is nothing about books I don't love.

 

Enter the Kindle at Christmas (see how my dh listens to me? :tongue_smilie:). But be still, my heart! I have the leather cover, so it smells good. It is lightweight and easy to hold with one hand. I can eat while I'm reading, since it is flat and I don't have to hold the page down with one hand. I can read at red lights (yep). I always took books in the car with me, and now I just grab my Kindle. Last week while waiting for my dd's lacrosse practice to end, I finished my book. No problem - I just went online, perused the various lists, and downloaded something that looked good. Voila! - reading the next book.

 

We also travel a lot, and spend quite a bit of time living on a sailboat. I used to lug an entire wheeled suitcase of books for my dd and me, to keep us happy. Now, an entire *room* of books is the same size as one thin volume. I LOVE it. Never say never!

[kewb]

I love my books but I think I would love a kindle so I don't have to lug a bunch of books when I travel.

[LibraryLover]

I would love a Kindle. :iagree:

[catalinakel]

I'm of mixed mind. My father was/is a collector of rare books. I grew up with a love of typography and book design, and in school learned to set type (both my hand and mechanical methods) and to print on everything from hand-pulled platen presses, to off-set machines.

 

I love books, good paper and the printing arts.

 

Not to mention the joy I've taken in the countless haunting book-sellers (both new and used) in search of interesting materials. As one great independent bookstore after another shutters its doors, I find it tremendously sad (if not painful). S we lose these emporiums we lose something of real value, including staffs that can "turn us on" to great works we might never have discovered on our own.

 

With or without e-books we are losing these treasured bookstores. In Los Angeles it has been a truly painful process to watch. If e-books are a final nail in the coffin, as they may well prove, they will come with a cost.

 

That said, technologies change economic realities. I do think authors ought to be able to flourish in an e-book environment. And, since what is being "sold" is content (as opposed to printing presses, paper, warehousing, transportation and distribution) author's may yet prove to benefit from e-books.

 

But not local book-sellers. Those who've compared bookstores with record shops I think are (sadly) making an apt comparison. For years I supported our local independent bookstores by making all my purchases though them rather than the chains even when it cost me a little more. But that didn't save them. I wish it were other-wise.

 

As much as I love books (real books, and there are few enough of those these days, printed on acid-free paper with sewn (not glued) bindings) I look forward to eventually owning an e-book.

 

My particular interest is tapping into the long out of print books that Google and other are making available. Works that (in the main) can't be purchased easily or without great expense.

 

I do see access to a great library becoming democratized, especially as the price of e-readers falls (as they must).

 

Will I always be nostalgic for a finely printed book? Absolutely!

 

Will I greatly feel the cultural loss as the last of independent booksellers shut their doors? Hugely so! It's a pain I feel to my core.

 

But I don't feel there's any stopping it. E-books or not.

 

The world will be different. And I hope the benefits of these emerging technologies out weighs the painful disruptions to our cultural life.

 

Bill

 

Wow Bill. we have found some common ground, after all. My sentiments nearly exactly.....

[msjones]

I have a small concern that the move to E Books creates one more gate keeper in the world of thought and opinion.

 

Here's what I mean. If I want to read the thoughts of F. A. Hayek on economics, I can just find a copy of one of his books. Yes, he had to convince someone at a printing house that it was worthy of publishing. But once the books are created, they aren't particularly ephemeral. We own and we've accessed in research libraries, many books from the WWI era and before. They were published once, sometimes in small runs and never again. But the books themselves prove pretty durable.

 

If we shift to wholesale E book use, then there is a new gatekeeper, the one who arbitrates what works are worthy of becoming digital products. Probably Hayek will end up digitized. But what about the Intimate Papers of Colonel House, the memoirs of Baruch or the German military's series of battlefield histories from each major battle in WWI.

 

And you also add the issue of format endurance. If lots of libaries are convinced that they can digitize their collection and then purge the hard copies, what happens when the format changes or when the files are corrupted? You can often decipher a mildewed, aged, torn piece of text in ways that are not going to work with a corrupted digital file. (As a case in point, there was an article last year about the original footage of the moon landing, which had been recorded in a special format that was no longer used. A couple of technical hobbiests worked to get one version of the appropriate machine working so that these originals could be seen again. All that we had otherwise were recordings of what had been broadcast on tv.)

 

I love Project Gutenburg and the Baldwin Project. I even like Google books for out of copywrite materials like Handbook of Nature Study. But I am mindful of the fact that these sites are possible because physical copies of the original books remain to be carefully typed or digitized.

 

But then I've spent my time in the unheated card catalog room of Library of Congress and waiting patiently for carts to appear at National Archives. I am very aware of that cart full of minutes of the Russian Supply Committee from WWI that sits untranslated and undigitized because of its awkward format. Who knows what wonders of diplomatic history lie within? I don't know if digital publishing would save that cart of mysteries for the ages or doom it to destruction.

 

This is some great food for thought. Times, they are a'changin'. Thanks for posting.