Are homeschoolers the "Keepers of the Books"?

[RegGuheert]

There seem to be many ongoing "assaults" on physical books these days. Technology is the enabler, but there are many players who are complicit in the push to eliminate either the physical books or their content or both. In short, it seems that Ray Bradbury's view of the future in Fahrenheit 451 was fairly accurate in many ways.

 

I will also note that homeschoolers are ravenous consumers of books. MomsintheGarden and I have purchased many thousands of books in our 22 years of marriage and most of those titles are still under our care. I have read similar stories from many of the posters on this board.

 

Finally, I will point out that I do not observe other individuals consuming books of the same quality of content our in the same quantities as do homeschoolers.

 

So I am starting to wonder a few things:

 

1) Will homeschoolers preserve their libraries as their children grow and leave home?

 

2) If so, will these homeschool libraries be some of the few remaining havens where physical books can survive?

 

3) Should we expect the firemen to someday visit our homes?

 

4) Related to 1) above: Are you more likely to preserve your library because of the ongoing assaults on physical books and your desire to try to slow or stop that trend?

[RoughCollie]

We have about 2,000 books here at home (we moved and left at least 3,000 behind due to space limitations), and 35,000 at the office (we left 10,000 behind due to space limitations). We could not find any organization or person who wanted the 13,000 left behind books. One person came to look at them, and took one book. Due to time constraints and the situation we were in, we could not advertise them as being available. About 99% of the books we own are out of print.

 

We started out wanting to preserve our favorites for our children. We ended up owning a bookstore. DH thinks of himself as a rescuer and preserver of good books for children that are in danger of disappearing. It's no wonder that he does because he has met a lot of people who are in charge of large repositories of books who throw hundreds of them into the dumpster when they thin their collections.

 

I have noticed something alarming over the years. Very few of the people I know own enough books to need a bookcase. Usually the (tiny) bookcases are in their children's rooms. The educational levels of the people are not a factor, although many more of the well-educated people I know read for pleasure.

 

Every single person who comes to our house remarks upon our bookcases and refers to our home as "the library". I get lots of advice on how if I get rid of all those bookcases, the place will look better, decoratively speaking. We are invariably asked if we have read all of the books.

 

At school, DS1 is accosted every day by schoolmates who are shocked that he reads books that are not assigned by the teachers, just because he wants to. All he has to do is take out his book during down-time, and kids flock around him with questions -- why is reading?]

 

There are some areas of intense intellectual activity, thank heavens. When we lived in Brookline, MA, it was not unusual to see someone reading as s/he walked down the street. If we wanted to give away books, we left them on the sidewalk, packed into shopping bags. Within 5 minutes, they would vanish. There were several bookstores within a few minutes walk of our home, and they were always packed with people. I have not lived anywhere else like this.

 

I think e-book readers are great, to a point. They are useful in all sorts of ways -- to carry around instead of heavy textbooks (if the printed textbooks are kept at home), to take on vacation (I have had to mail several boxes of books to our destination c/o general delivery), and for other general convenience situations.

 

I think printed books will become archaic in the future. I hope this occurs so far in the future that I am no longer around.

 

If it weren't for the internet, I would think that hardly anyone reads or cares about books any more. I believe it starts with the parents - if the parents value reading over competing activities (like watching t.v.), then the kids are more likely to become readers. My parents were avid readers (my Mom still is), we are, our children are. I will never forget the first time our house was quiet in the morning. I looked around the room, and all six of us were reading. That gave me such joy.

 

All of that said, I am discriminating when it comes to keeping books. Being printed matter does not mean a book is worth keeping, or even worth going to the trouble of giving it away. We actually burned a couple of paperbacks last fall instead of throwing them in the trash, and the kids were Farenheit 451-ing about it all over the place.

Edited February 2, 2010 by RoughCollie

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

There seem to be many ongoing "assaults" on physical books these days. Technology is the enabler, but there are many players who are complicit in the push to eliminate either the physical books or their content or both. In short, it seems that Ray Bradbury's view of the future in Fahrenheit 451 was fairly accurate in many ways.

 

I will also note that homeschoolers are ravenous consumers of books. MomsintheGarden and I have purchased many thousands of books in our 22 years of marriage and most of those titles are still under our care. I have read similar stories from many of the posters on this board.

 

Finally, I will point out that I do not observe other individuals consuming books of the same quality of content our in the same quantities as do homeschoolers.

 

So I am starting to wonder a few things:

 

1) Will homeschoolers preserve their libraries as their children grow and leave home?

 

2) If so, will these homeschool libraries be some of the few remaining havens where physical books can survive?

 

3) Should we expect the firemen to someday visit our homes?

 

4) Related to 1) above: Are you more likely to preserve your library because of the ongoing assaults on physical books and your desire to try to slow or stop that trend?

 

 

1. I will. I buy what I think are the best books when I see them at library sales and yard sales/ thrift stores. I save them for my kids. I plan to keep buying books and give them to my grandchildren. I don't intend to hoard them.

 

2. I don't think homeschoolers have monopoly on biblophilia.

 

3. No. If society degenerated that much, I don't think the powers that be would be that worried about a few "kooks." Their methods of creating mainstream thought and ridiculing those outside the mainstream are effective enough without force.

 

4. I collect books because I love them, and I want my children to love them. I have no control over anything beyond that.

 

 

I'm not worried too much about physical books disappearing, at least not in my lifetime. I don't think I would like an electronic book, because reading a "real" book is a very sensual experience: the smell and feel of the paper, the ability to flip back and forth through the pages, it's visual presence on my bookshelf provoking memories, the sense of ownership.

 

While elements may become part of mainstream society, I think it would take a world wide disaster of epic proportions, or hundreds of years of apathy, for the majority to submit to the conditions of Farenheit 451. Besides that, unless the government buys everyone an electronic reading device and keeps it in constant repair with perpetual upgrades, there will always be those who opt out.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Virginia Dawn

[Night Elf]

Lots of books require space. When we downsized in 2005, we had to get rid of over 1,000 books. We had them all in our finished basement in shelves that lined our walls. It was DH's collection from over the years before he even knew about homeschooling. He's a bibliophile and I'm certain there are other bibliophiles out there that aren't homeschoolers. :)

 

I'm not worried about 451. I'm not worried about Orwell's 1984. I don't think the world is going to end in 2012. I remember the Y2Kers who had people stocking great quantities of food and water, positive the world was going to come to a screeching halt and anarchy would ensue.

 

In music there is a push from physical to digital. In data collection, companies and organizations are going paperless. I remember the days of whole storage rooms full of metal filing cabinets and cardboard storage boxes. It seemed highly inefficient to me at the time, and that was before we had computers everywhere. I was so happy when those files became obsolete.

 

I don't see a move from print books to digital books as foreshadowing complete government control over information shared by the people. At least I don't see that happening in the United States. Digital books are cheaper and easier to deal with so market forces are following consumer demand in providing a more technical way to own books. I need to read news more often because I'm obviously missing something. I'm only aware of religious fundamentalists trying to censor and ban books because the content doesn't match with their religious views. I'm thinking of the Christian mother living in Georgia who fought hard to have her Atlanta school district ban Harry Potter books because she considers them evil.

 

I had to look up this quote because I only remembered part of it.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Every burned book or house enlightens the world: every suppressed or expunged word reverberates through the earth from side to side.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Lots of books require space. When we downsized in 2005, we had to get rid of over 1,000 books. We had them all in our finished basement in shelves that lined our walls. It was DH's collection from over the years before he even knew about homeschooling. He's a bibliophile and I'm certain there are other bibliophiles out there that aren't homeschoolers. :)

 

I'm not worried about 451. I'm not worried about Orwell's 1984. I don't think the world is going to end in 2012. I remember the Y2Kers who had people stocking great quantities of food and water, positive the world was going to come to a screeching halt and anarchy would ensue.

 

In music there is a push from physical to digital. In data collection, companies and organizations are going paperless. I remember the days of whole storage rooms full of metal filing cabinets and cardboard storage boxes. It seemed highly inefficient to me at the time, and that was before we had computers everywhere. I was so happy when those files became obsolete.

 

I don't see a move from print books to digital books as foreshadowing complete government control over information shared by the people. At least I don't see that happening in the United States. Digital books are cheaper and easier to deal with so market forces are following consumer demand in providing a more technical way to own books. I need to read news more often because I'm obviously missing something. I'm only aware of religious fundamentalists trying to censor and ban books because the content doesn't match with their religious views. I'm thinking of the Christian mother living in Georgia who fought hard to have her Atlanta school district ban Harry Potter books because she considers them evil.

 

I had to look up this quote because I only remembered part of it.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Every burned book or house enlightens the world: every suppressed or expunged word reverberates through the earth from side to side.

 

:iagree: I also think that as long as we maintain net neutrality, then freedom will be enhanced. Many of the big ISP providers want to do away with net neutrality which could easily put a end to much of the internet content from conservative to liberal:(

[Laurie4b]

I'll keep some of our books for kids/grandkids, but not all by any means.

I'm not worried about people taking away our books.

We're in a transition that has happened before in written history. In fact, the most well-preserved written history is on bones and clay. The printing press was a revolution that we benefitted from. I don't like reading electronic print as much as a real book--the glare bothers me--but I can see its uses.

[laughing lioness]

 

1) Will homeschoolers preserve their libraries as their children grow and leave home? Probably. Our plan was to distribute them amongst our 5 kids and grandchildren.

 

2) If so, will these homeschool libraries be some of the few remaining havens where physical books can survive? Maybe. I think some of it depends on politics and the conflict between liberal and conservative (I don't mean Republican vs. Democrat) ideologies.

 

3) Should we expect the firemen to someday visit our homes? Well, actually, fireman did visit our home in late October. As a result we lost 1000's of books and all of our photo albums (sniffle). That aside, I think if it comes down to this then we'll have much more basic freedoms to worry about than owning physical books.

 

4) Related to 1) above: Are you more likely to preserve your library because of the ongoing assaults on physical books and your desire to try to slow or stop that trend? I don't consider it an assult on physical books, per se, but rather an assult on quality, excellence and a world view. Many of the quality books printed, for teens especially, are not to be found in the libraries or major books warehouses. We've had to buy them in order to have easy access to lots of quality literature.

 

I do believe that we are coming closer to a clash of ideologies world wide and this will affect what and how we consume.

I strongly disagree with the Emerson quote, "Every burned book and house enlightens the world." I just read a book by a surviver of a war and her burned house resulted in a decade of terror and virtual slavery for her and her family. A 1/2 a world away, I was totally oblivious to her angst as were most of my generation, but the destructive effects of that war continue to have ramifications that are ugly and destructive.

Destruction is just that. Destruction. Putting pretty words on it doesn't make it something else. Having just lived through a fire I can say confidently that fire wastes, destroys and smells.

[TravelingChris]

I am a book collector. Not of all books but I do collect illustrated children's books and cookbooks and gardening books. I would do that even if I wasn't a homeschooler. I am not keeping all the homeschool books we have. I have been getting rid of a lot that no one will read. Although my childran are older, I have quite a few moves before any possible grandchildren. I will always be getting the grandkids books.

[Greta]

Well, my (sure-to-be unpopular) opinion is that it is the content of books that matters, not the physical format. I think the paper and ink format is a bit overly romanticized. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy that format. But it's just one format among several possible ones. It's just the delivery method of the "thing" it is not the "thing" itself.

 

I personally struggle with a tendency to "hoard" things. I am really trying to change this, and make my home a clean, clear, peaceful, organized place rather than the cluttered and stressful mess that it usually is. So I am all for going electronic. I am drawn to things that simplify.

 

But you seem to be worried about more than just the format being under "attack". You think access to the *information* in books is at risk? From what I can see, the biggest threat there is simply apathy -- most people would rather sit down in front of the tv than with a book (whether it's a paper one or an electronic one). Is that what you're referring to or did I miss something?

[EKS]

Well I know that I am personally the keeper of many, many books. Many.

[Perry]

Well, my (sure-to-be unpopular) opinion is that it is the content of books that matters, not the physical format. I think the paper and ink format is a bit overly romanticized. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy that format. But it's just one format among several possible ones. It's just the delivery method of the "thing" it is not the "thing" itself.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Last time we moved across town I vowed to stop purchasing books and start using the library more. We got rid of 100s of boxes of books, and I never EVER want to move that many boxes of books again. We now have very few books (from my perspective, although I'm sure we have far more than the average family).

 

So this homeschooling family isn't a keeper of books.

 

We are keepers of information. :D

[stripe]

I don't see there being any sort of an organized "assault" on books. For what it's worth, the elements themselves (air, heat, moisture, acids in paper) "assualt" books plenty, and many digitization projects seek to make the content of delicate and rare books more accessible, which is a very important thing as far as I'm concerned, more so than zero people being able to touch the actual book in question as it disintegrates into dust.

 

I also agree with Virginia Dawn that homeschoolers hardly have a monopoly on bibliophilia, and in fact I know myself homeschoolers who have very few books in their home and whose children do not really read much literature or real books, only textbook type things.

 

Furthermore, merely hoarding any book does not really mean you are contributing to human knowledge. Have you ever seen most of what gets donated to libraries, which their former owners are furious never get put onto the shelves? Old, rotting paperback romances from 30 years ago. Old Reader's Digest condensed books. Etc. Accumulating stuff just for the sake of keeping it does get to be a mental illness, so I try to tread carefully myself.

[msjones]

I don't see there being any sort of an organized "assault" on books. For what it's worth, the elements themselves (air, heat, moisture, acids in paper) "assualt" books plenty, and many digitization projects seek to make the content of delicate and rare books more accessible, which is a very important thing as far as I'm concerned, more so than zero people being able to touch the actual book in question as it disintegrates into dust.

 

I also agree with Virginia Dawn that homeschoolers hardly have a monopoly on bibliophilia, and in fact I know myself homeschoolers who have very few books in their home and whose children do not really read much literature or real books, only textbook type things.

 

Furthermore, merely hoarding any book does not really mean you are contributing to human knowledge. Have you ever seen most of what gets donated to libraries, which their former owners are furious never get put onto the shelves? Old, rotting paperback romances from 30 years ago. Old Reader's Digest condensed books. Etc. Accumulating stuff just for the sake of keeping it does get to be a mental illness, so I try to tread carefully myself.

 

:iagree: Well said.

 

I think I understand the concerns about digital books (although I do not agree that anything like a concerted "assault" is taking place), but I believe books will actually be more widely available because they are digital. Anyone with an inexpensive computer or e-reader can own all of Shakespeare free of charge!

[RegGuheert]

I don't see there being any sort of an organized "assault" on books. For what it's worth, the elements themselves (air, heat, moisture, acids in paper) "assualt" books plenty, and many digitization projects seek to make the content of delicate and rare books more accessible, which is a very important thing as far as I'm concerned, more so than zero people being able to touch the actual book in question as it disintegrates into dust.

The simple fact is that print on paper is MUCH more reliable than ANY form of digital storage available. High-quality books can last for hundreds or even thousands of years. Digital media doesn't even come close. Perhaps some forms may be good for 100 years, but no one can be sure since none have been around that long. The latest generation of flash storage uses only about 100 electrons for each bit. The mean time to data failure for such devices is now a pitiful one year.

 

I understand that digital data is easily copied, etc., but there are always systemic risks that should be considered, whether intentional or otherwise. For instance, some scientists are predicting future sunspot activity many time stronger than that which blacked out much of the US in the 1950s. Who knows if that is possible, but I don't think it can be ruled out.

 

While I haven't read them, I have heard of studies which have indicated that it may be best to store important documents in human-readable form because that is likely to be the most reliable preservation method possible.

 

In any case, I do see that a lot of homeschoolers are bibliophiles and I am thinking they may serve an important function of preserving information (and books) for future generations. Only time will tell.

[stripe]

The simple fact is that print on paper is MUCH more reliable than ANY form of digital storage available. High-quality books can last for hundreds or even thousands of years. Digital media doesn't even come close.

Those involved in digital preservation know this and plan updates, rather than a "one shot" digitization.

 

Not all books are sturdy (the pages may be disintegrating, or the pages may be intact, but the binding may not be, and what if someone rips out a chunk?), and some books have very few copies in print, sturdy though they may be. What then? Is simply storing an old book enough? Does that really spread knowledge -- or do we need to consider disseminating it? What about the increased opportunity to reprint new copies of old material, by first digitizing it?

 

"Print resource" does not just mean "book." It can be a music score, a pamphlet, papyrus, photograph, drawing, or a map. I recently received a notice about a research library's desire to purchase a new machine they would use to digitize large-scale maps and books with bulky binding. The items they are planning to be first to digitize are those that are beginning to crumble. So a book may last for hundreds of years...until it doesn't. If there are so few of them in the world, some unsavory people steal the books to sell them (more than a few examples -- esp if you look at my first link!), or get "mislaid" in the library [in some cases, that means stolen!] (example). And it usually has to be kept in special, restricted conditions, only to be touched by a gloved hand of a curator, and so forth, which is the antithesis of access to information.

 

Several large research libraries (such as Harvard and the University of Michigan) are digitizing their old books, so that you, sitting at home, can read them (Google Books is one such project). They are not throwing them into the garbage: they are making them more available. One can now have one's OWN copy made of that book, at various locations around the world.

 

It's not an either/or.

 

And I honestly don't see homeschoolers as "central" to any sort of preservation or distribution "movement."

Edited February 2, 2010 by stripe

[Jen500]

I just read Fahrenheit 451 for the first time a few weeks ago. Wow. One thing I've noticed over the past few years is that our local library system's expansions have not included more books...but more video games, movies, guitar hero club, etc.

[AuntieM]

I don't know that it's home schoolers, I rather think it's bibliophiles, and many home schoolers happen to be both... anyone's student need a research project?!!

 

Personally, my love of books came first. To me, a cloth or leather bound tome with an embossed cover gives me the same feeling DH gets from a classic auto with shiny chrome (he's a motor head with many years in the industry). I can't ever imagine a Kindle feeling the same way, though I can appreciate the versatility of such a device.

 

And I am, I confess, a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Electronic texts seem so very easy to manipulate... a few keystrokes here, a few there... I dunno, no real substantiation for that feeling, it's just... how I feel!

[RegGuheert]

 

I need to read news more often because I'm obviously missing something. I'm only aware of religious fundamentalists trying to censor and ban books because the content doesn't match with their religious views.

I agree. Religious fundamentalists known as secular humanists have systematically worked over the past eight decades to remove the Bible from the public schools because it does not match their religious views. If you do not believe that is what has happened, then I recommend that you read the Humanist Maifestos and study their activities since the 1930s. Trust me, the religion of humanism IS still being taught in the public schools of this country so please do not try to defend this as having something to do with the separation of church and state.

And I honestly don't see homeschoolers as "central" to any sort of preservation or distribution "movement."

Sure they are! Many homeschoolers have restored the Bible into the education of children which would have otherwise been denied in their public schools. Many homeschoolers are also seeking out and preserving many educational resources which were created before all references to Christian principals had been removed from education in this country.

[Amira]

I'm a homeschooler and serious reader who is very happy to see more digital books out there. I personally don't see a real danger, and I see a lot of benefits. We're in the process of selling most of our books and converting to ebooks because ebooks are so much more portable. We are a highly mobile family and ebooks make reading possbile for us in countries where I cannot get regular books. We will be homeschooling almost exclusively with ereaders next year.

 

I also have high hopes that digital books will make reading a wide variety of content much more possible for billions of people around the world who currently have little or no access to inexpensive books in their native languages.

 

There will always, always be a place for real books. Always. (I will never even attempt to read a picture book to a one-year-old from an iPad or a Sony Reader or whatever.) I don't think there is any threat that books will becoming unnecessary. But I'm excited about the possibilities that digital books present in educating and mobilizing the world. I don't think one threatens the other.

[Night Elf]

I don't see there being any sort of an organized "assault" on books. For what it's worth, the elements themselves (air, heat, moisture, acids in paper) "assualt" books plenty, and many digitization projects seek to make the content of delicate and rare books more accessible, which is a very important thing as far as I'm concerned, more so than zero people being able to touch the actual book in question as it disintegrates into dust.

 

Good point. We have some books from when my MIL was a little girl back in the 40s and 50s, and books from my DH's childhood in the 60s. The older ones are nearly unreadable because the pages literally break when touched and we keep them around for sentimental reasons. The ones from my DH's childhood are readable but won't last many years. The pages are already yellowed and coming out of the bindings.

[mcconnellboys]

1) Will homeschoolers preserve their libraries as their children grow and leave home? Yes, I am in fact beginning to comb used/rare book stores for titles that my library has chucked in the past few years.

 

2) If so, will these homeschool libraries be some of the few remaining havens where physical books can survive? I believe that they may well be, yes. Do you think that such a preservation will prove distressful to anyone?

 

3) Should we expect the firemen to someday visit our homes? I certainly hope not, LOL...... I'm not using books to prop up the walls yet.....

 

4) Related to 1) above: Are you more likely to preserve your library because of the ongoing assaults on physical books and your desire to try to slow or stop that trend? Yes, as I mentioned, I've begun buying up older books now to stave off their disappearance from my life forever....

[Night Elf]

Trust me, the religion of humanism IS still being taught in the public schools of this country so please do not try to defend this as having something to do with the separation of church and state.

 

:lol::lol: Boy did you read WAY too much into my response. I'm not the defensive one.

[Night Elf]

I strongly disagree with the Emerson quote, "Every burned book and house enlightens the world." I just read a book by a surviver of a war and her burned house resulted in a decade of terror and virtual slavery for her and her family. A 1/2 a world away, I was totally oblivious to her angst as were most of my generation, but the destructive effects of that war continue to have ramifications that are ugly and destructive.

 

You personally didn't know the horror of that story but that doesn't mean others didn't know about it. A book was written about it so that even more people could learn about it. The 'burned house' story has been shared with the world now. Isn't that enlightenment?

[Spy Car]

I don't see there being any sort of an organized "assault" on books. For what it's worth, the elements themselves (air, heat, moisture, acids in paper) "assualt" books plenty, and many digitization projects seek to make the content of delicate and rare books more accessible, which is a very important thing as far as I'm concerned, more so than zero people being able to touch the actual book in question as it disintegrates into dust.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I could not agree more.

 

The fact is the vast majority of books today are printed on acid-paper and will self-destruct unlike the books of old which were printed on acid-free paper.

 

Bill

[WishboneDawn]

The simple fact is that print on paper is MUCH more reliable than ANY form of digital storage available. High-quality books can last for hundreds or even thousands of years. Digital media doesn't even come close. Perhaps some forms may be good for 100 years, but no one can be sure since none have been around that long. The latest generation of flash storage uses only about 100 electrons for each bit. The mean time to data failure for such devices is now a pitiful one year.

 

 

Which is probably why books will be around for a very long time. Personally, I'm not worried. I have thousands of books, most are paper but a lot are electronic and I think both formats are useful and wonderful.

 

If the issue is durability then we hould go back to chiseling letters into stone.

[elegantlion]

There seem to be many ongoing "assaults" on physical books these days. Technology is the enabler, but there are many players who are complicit in the push to eliminate either the physical books or their content or both. In short, it seems that Ray Bradbury's view of the future in Fahrenheit 451 was fairly accurate in many ways.

 

I will also note that homeschoolers are ravenous consumers of books. MomsintheGarden and I have purchased many thousands of books in our 22 years of marriage and most of those titles are still under our care. I have read similar stories from many of the posters on this board.

 

Finally, I will point out that I do not observe other individuals consuming books of the same quality of content our in the same quantities as do homeschoolers.

 

So I am starting to wonder a few things:

 

1) Will homeschoolers preserve their libraries as their children grow and leave home?

 

2) If so, will these homeschool libraries be some of the few remaining havens where physical books can survive?

 

3) Should we expect the firemen to someday visit our homes?

 

4) Related to 1) above: Are you more likely to preserve your library because of the ongoing assaults on physical books and your desire to try to slow or stop that trend?

 

 

I have one child, yet I keep many of the books we read. We have the space now (may not always be the case) and I love books. I read F-451 last year and promptly did it as a read aloud for my ds. I picked up a few of the antique books lying around our house and read from them. My lesson was that even though these books were over 100 years old in some cases I could still read exactly what was printed, I could flip the page and read the next.

 

In the case of digital books what happens when a format becomes obsolete? Will some books be "forgotten" and lost forever? I mean how many of us have replaced all of our vinyl albums with CDs or MP3s, not me. I miss some of that music but it's not a priority to buy it in the new format. Paper and ink will be around as long as they are cared for properly.

 

My goal is maintain a library in my home for myself and my grandchildren. I currently have over 1000 books, quit counting after that, and i still buy more. I'm pretty selective but I won't quit buying.

 

Well, my (sure-to-be unpopular) opinion is that it is the content of books that matters, not the physical format. I think the paper and ink format is a bit overly romanticized. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy that format. But it's just one format among several possible ones. It's just the delivery method of the "thing" it is not the "thing" itself.

 

I personally struggle with a tendency to "hoard" things. I am really trying to change this, and make my home a clean, clear, peaceful, organized place rather than the cluttered and stressful mess that it usually is. So I am all for going electronic. I am drawn to things that simplify.

 

But you seem to be worried about more than just the format being under "attack". You think access to the *information* in books is at risk? From what I can see, the biggest threat there is simply apathy -- most people would rather sit down in front of the tv than with a book (whether it's a paper one or an electronic one). Is that what you're referring to or did I miss something?

 

I fight a hoarding gene and I constantly purge items. but other formats of reading don't appeal to me. As much I adore my computer I can not read a book from a screen.

 

My concern with formatting is not necessarily intentional deletion, but as you stated apathetic deletion when new technology makes a Kindle seem antiquated.

 

I'll be one of the holdouts standing on my porch should the fireman come. :D

[WishboneDawn]

I agree. Religious fundamentalists known as secular humanists have systematically worked over the past eight decades to remove the Bible from the public schools because it does not match their religious views. If you do not believe that is what has happened, then I recommend that you read the Humanist Maifestos and study their activities since the 1930s. Trust me, the religion of humanism IS still being taught in the public schools of this country so please do not try to defend this as having something to do with the separation of church and state.Sure they are! Many homeschoolers have restored the Bible into the education of children which would have otherwise been denied in their public schools. Many homeschoolers are also seeking out and preserving many educational resources which were created before all references to Christian principals had been removed from education in this country.

 

Whoa. That was cool. Night Elf was talking about one thing and you like, totally avoided it and then completely flipped it on her to talk about something totally out of left field.

 

Totally disorienting man.

[Murphy101]

Haven't read entire thread yet. ...

 

But I love my books. Not as much as God or dh or dc but books are up there.

Yes I plan to keep a home library to the day I die if at all possible. Picturing grandbabies enjoying it gives me the warm fuzzies.

[AuntieM]

Picturing grandbabies enjoying it gives me the warm fuzzies.

 

And that's one reason why I hope to add full color editions of every Robert McCloskey to my home library!

[Rebecca VA]

AuntieM, your post conjured up a picture in my mind of a toddler sitting on the floor with a Kindle, reading "Make Way for Ducklings." Nope, that's not going to happen at my house.

[Greta]

I fight a hoarding gene and I constantly purge items. but other formats of reading don't appeal to me. As much I adore my computer I can not read a book from a screen.

 

I understand, and I do think the eye-strain factor is definitely worse with screens. But for myself, I've found that the biggest barrier to reading an ebook (I don't have a Kindle) is not being able to sit in my favorite comfy chair under a nice warm blanket and "cuddle up" with by book. Sitting at a desk is just not the same! That's why I'm looking forward to getting an iPad -- comfy factor restored. :D

[Sebastian (a lady)]

There seem to be many ongoing "assaults" on physical books these days. Technology is the enabler, but there are many players who are complicit in the push to eliminate either the physical books or their content or both. In short, it seems that Ray Bradbury's view of the future in Fahrenheit 451 was fairly accurate in many ways.

 

I will also note that homeschoolers are ravenous consumers of books. MomsintheGarden and I have purchased many thousands of books in our 22 years of marriage and most of those titles are still under our care. I have read similar stories from many of the posters on this board.

 

Finally, I will point out that I do not observe other individuals consuming books of the same quality of content our in the same quantities as do homeschoolers.

 

So I am starting to wonder a few things:

 

1) Will homeschoolers preserve their libraries as their children grow and leave home?

 

2) If so, will these homeschool libraries be some of the few remaining havens where physical books can survive?

 

3) Should we expect the firemen to someday visit our homes?

 

4) Related to 1) above: Are you more likely to preserve your library because of the ongoing assaults on physical books and your desire to try to slow or stop that trend?

 

I think that it's worth remembering that in 451, the fire chief explains that everything had been possible because people had already stopped caring about and using books.

 

Will books as tangible bound volumes of print go away? I don't know, maybe. We don't see much of scrolls or illuminated manuscripts anymore (although you could argue that the samizdat of the later period of the USSR was a throwback). But there is quite a shift from tangible and durable text to digital storage. Digital books are very powerful, but there are also some things that will be lost (just as books changed from being treasured works of art to being mass market items of entertainment - for good and for bad).

 

I do like the way that digitized books allow me access to things that I wouldn't have otherwise because they weren't worth republishing. The scarce copies were not very available, even if I knew they existed. Digitize them and it opens them up to discovery through search engines.

 

Think of how great it would be to have an Touch iPod sized device with several dozen field guides loaded along with search capability to allow me to select white bird, sea bird and Hawaii and come up with a couple different pictures to compare to (Fairy Tern).

 

What I do love is that Ebook users and bound book users both agree in the value of the texts themselves. They are far from abandoning books altogether, they are just working through the best delivery vehicle.

 

It's the folks who only read one book a year or graduate from school and never read again that I worry about.

[Carol in Cal.]

Rather, I am a biblioholic.

 

The difference:

 

Bibliophile have many nice books.

Biblioholics have TOO many nice books.

[KidsHappen]

Rather, I am a biblioholic.

 

The difference:

 

Bibliophile have many nice books.

Biblioholics have TOO many nice books.

 

How do you know if you have too many books? As long as you can still make it in and out of the house and to critical areas like the bathroom and kitchen you're ok right?:tongue_smilie: Honestly, this is why I can't afford to decorate. I spend all my money on books and bookshelves. I certainly have a lot of books but I can't imagine having too many.

[Ibbygirl]

How do you know if you have too many books? As long as you can still make it in and out of the house and to critical areas like the bathroom and kitchen you're ok right?:tongue_smilie: Honestly, this is why I can't afford to decorate. I spend all my money on books and bookshelves. I certainly have a lot of books but I can't imagine having too many.

 

We've resorted to making our own bookshelves we've got so many books. The house looks like a library. But seriously, dh just goes to Home Depot and has them cut the lumber in the dimensions he wants and he goes home and assembles it into a book case. hehe They're solid wood and less than buying a book case which allows you more money to buy more books. :tongue_smilie: :D

[Peela]

I haven't read the other responses.

I won't be keeping thousands of books just to preserve them for future generations. I love books and reading as much as any homeschooling mum, but I prefer to let most of them go. The only reason I keep books is if I think I will reread them- which is very rare as there are so many new books I want to read- or I want to lend them to friends- which happens with books I really like, but its not often- or, if I want to keep a particularly lovely edition of a children's classic for my grandchildren. I frequently let go of books.

Considering how many 2nd hand bookshops there are in my city, as well as new, I don't think books are going out of fashion around here any time soon. However, even if they are, I am not going to carry around the burden of keeping books for future generations on my particular shoulders. I prefer to live lightly- and I wouldnt want to pass that burden onto my children, either.

I think the ebook phenomenon is a good thing. Yes, some will suffer, as always happens as patterns and trends change. Old record sellers went out of business too. But, like the music industry changes...there are great benefits to consumers and I am not concerned- i think its overall a good thing.

[RegGuheert]

Those involved in digital preservation know this and plan updates, rather than a "one shot" digitization.

Several large research libraries (such as Harvard and the University of Michigan) are digitizing their old books, so that you, sitting at home, can read them (Google Books is one such project). They are not throwing them into the garbage: they are making them more available. One can now have one's OWN copy made of that book, at various locations around the world.

I will contend that digitizing books as a way of preservation IS the same a throwing them into the garbage. If you want to preserve the information in a book for a VERY long time, you should print many copies of it on archival-quality paper (or chisel it in stone or platinum) and store the copies in diverse locations throughout the world.

 

Why do I say this? Because one thing that history teaches us is that civilizations do not last. Do you really think the current civilizations will last forever? I do not think there is a chance of that happening. Let's be generous and say that some digital storage medium exists that can store data for 100 years. The readers for that format probably have a maximum lifetime of 20 years, at the outside. So it would make sense to move the data to a new format around every 10 years. Given that scenario, having a disruption of the *maintenance* on the data for even a couple of decades means the information is likely lost forever. The Dark Ages lasted for over 500 years! Very few libraries were maintained during that period. The ONLY records that survive from long-lost civilizations are the structures they build and the writings that were made in durable formats such as stone or certain types of written materials. So the idea of preserving data by putting it into an non-durable format is really an oxymoron. If you want to preserve the information, then you should put it into a format that is both human-readable and has a chance to last for hundreds or thousands of years. Only then will it have a chance to survive.

It's not an either/or.

I agree. Let's hope that it remains so. And let's hope that some archivists are still applying old-school techniques. I'm sure there are still plenty that do.

[elegantlion]

Rather, I am a biblioholic.

 

The difference:

 

Bibliophile have many nice books.

Biblioholics have TOO many nice books.

 

Well that wouldn't be me. I can quit whenever I want. I could even delete the 135 items in my amazon card "save for later" section, if I wanted. I could quit going to Goodwill and rescuing books for .39 each, but I don't want to. :tongue_smilie:

 

How do you know if you have too many books? As long as you can still make it in and out of the house and to critical areas like the bathroom and kitchen you're ok right?:tongue_smilie: Honestly, this is why I can't afford to decorate. I spend all my money on books and bookshelves. I certainly have a lot of books but I can't imagine having too many.

 

I have a love/hate relationship with our current home. But it's best feature is a wall of built in floor to ceiling walnut bookcases. Then there is the bookcases in the classroom, the bedroom, the playroom. Bookcases are decoration. :D

[Murphy101]

Just want to say :iagree:

 

anyone who doubts can just think back to the last time their computer crashed or a disk cracked/scratched or various other scenarios that happen too frequently for comfort or peace of mind. These things rarely happen to my books. And it's never happened to everyone of them at once. *shudder at the thought*

 

 

I will contend that digitizing books as a way of preservation IS the same a throwing them into the garbage. If you want to preserve the information in a book for a VERY long time, you should print many copies of it on archival-quality paper (or chisel it in stone or platinum) and store the copies in diverse locations throughout the world.

 

Why do I say this? Because one thing that history teaches us is that civilizations do not last. Do you really think the current civilizations will last forever? I do not think there is a chance of that happening. Let's be generous and say that some digital storage medium exists that can store data for 100 years. The readers for that format probably have a maximum lifetime of 20 years, at the outside. So it would make sense to move the data to a new format around every 10 years. Given that scenario, having a disruption of the *maintenance* on the data for even a couple of decades means the information is likely lost forever. The Dark Ages lasted for over 500 years! Very few libraries were maintained during that period. The ONLY records that survive from long-lost civilizations are the structures they build and the writings that were made in durable formats such as stone or certain types of written materials. So the idea of preserving data by putting it into an non-durable format is really an oxymoron. If you want to preserve the information, then you should put it into a format that is both human-readable and has a chance to last for hundreds or thousands of years. Only then will it have a chance to survive.I agree. Let's hope that it remains so. And let's hope that some archivists are still applying old-school techniques. I'm sure there are still plenty that do.