Free PDF Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper, by Nicholson Baker
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Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper, by Nicholson Baker
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Since the 1950s, our country’s greatest libraries have, as a matter of common practice, dismantled their collections of original bound newspapers and so-called brittle books, replacing them with microfilmed copies. The marketing of the brittle-paper crisis and the real motives behind it are the subject of this passionately argued book, in which Nicholson Barker pleads the case for saving our recorded heritage in its original form while telling the story of how and why our greatest research libraries betrayed the public trust by auctioning off or pulping irreplaceable collections. The players include the Library of Congress, the CIA, NASA, microfilm lobbyists, newspaper dealers, and a colorful array of librarians and digital futurists, as well as Baker himself — who eventually discovers that the only way to save one important newspaper is to buy it. Double Fold is an intense, brilliantly worded narrative that is sure to provoke discussion and controversy.
- Sales Rank: #1247779 in Books
- Published on: 2001-04-10
- Released on: 2001-04-10
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.61" h x 1.19" w x 5.79" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 384 pages
From Publishers Weekly
All writers of course love the printed word, but few are those willing to start foundations in order to preserve it. Not only has noted novelist Baker (The Mezzanine; Vox; etc.) done so, he's also written a startling expos‚ of an ugly conspiracy perpetuated by the very people entrusted to preserve our history librarians. Baker started the American Newspaper Repository in 1999, when he discovered that the only existing copies of several major U.S. newspapers were going to be auctioned off by the British Library. Not only were U.S. libraries not interested, it turned out that they'd tossed their own copies years before. Why? Baker uncovered an Orwellian universe in our midst in which preservation equals destruction, and millions of tax dollars have funded and continue to fund the destruction of irreplaceable books, newspapers and other print media. The instruments of that destruction microfilm, microfiche, image readers and toxic chemicals are less to blame than the cadre of former CIA and military operatives at the Library of Congress in the 1950s who refused to acknowledge that those technologies were, in fact, inferior to preserving and storing the originals. They were more concerned with ways to (in the words of one) "extract profit and usefulness from" old books while at the same time "prevent [them] from clogging the channels of the present." Baker details these events in one horrifying chapter after another, and he doesn't mince words. One can only gasp in outraged disbelief as he describes the men and women who, while supposedly serving as responsible custodians of our history, have chosen instead to decimate it. (on-sale Apr. 10) Forecast: The genesis of this book, an article in the New Yorker, generated quite a fuss, and this book is bound to receive attention in the print media. The subject and the passion with which the case is made guarantee healthy sales.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Pulling no punches, novelist Baker (Vox) is a romantic, passionate troublemaker who questions the smug assumptions of library professionals and weeps at the potential loss of an extensive, pristine run of Joseph Pulitzer's New York World. For him, the wholesale destruction of books and newspapers to the twin gods of microfilming and digitization is an issue of administrators seeking storage space not of preserving a heritage. He contends that the alarmist slogans "brittle books" and "slow fires" are intended to obscure the reality and the destruction. Throughout his book, Baker hammers away at the Orwellian notion that we must destroy books and newspapers in order, supposedly, to save them. Particularly singled out for opprobrium are University Microfilms Inc. and the Library of Congress. This extremely well-written book is not a paranoid rant. Just this past October, Werner Gundersheimer, director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, said at LC's "Preserve and Protect" symposium that, amid all the smoke and fury, Baker was essentially pleading for "a last copy effort of some kind." Double Fold is the narrative of a heroic struggle: Picture Baker as "Offisa Pup" defending "Krazy Kat," of the printed word, against the villainous "Ignatz Mouse" of the library establishment all in glorious, vivid color on brittle (but unbowed) newsprint. Highly recommended for all libraries.
- Barry Chad, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From The New Yorker
An ardent call for America's libraries to preserve their newspaper collections. Baker is particularly effective in conveying the beauty of long-defunct illustrated and local papers—all in danger of being destroyed.
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Cranky and Hyperbolic, but thought-provoking
By frumiousb
As a consultant working for a software company who performs the kind of digital archiving service described (attacked?) in this book, I was probably reading this with a slightly jaundiced eye. I think Baker glosses over some very real issues of how these resources are used and probably underestimates the real cost of physical versus digital/microfilm archiving, but I'm also not sure that these issues make up the real point of the book.
I found it a *very* illuminating read and it made some really excellent points about how useful it is to carry projects without a clear sense of goal and direction. I thought his concerns about the privatisation of historical archive are very valid. I couldn't help but share his concerns about destruction in order to preserve. Moreover, the book is remarkably readable and occasionally very entertaining (the virgin mummy section, for example).
I'll be giving this one away as a Christmas gift to more than a few poeple on my gift list.
13 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Baker hits the nail on the head
By Allan Holtz
As a longtime newspaper researcher, I was already well aware of the problems of converting library materials to microfilm, but this book lays out the whole story in horrifying detail. If you care about history, the value of a complete and unadulterated historical record, or even just the intrinsic value of the materials being destroyed, this book will make you very angry. We trusted our country's record of history to the libraries and they casually threw most of it into the nearest convenient trashcan.
Baker's indictment reveals the extent of the loss, the foolish assumptions that led to it, and the military (!) bureaucrats who led the campaign. It is a terribly sad story but one that must be told and learned from if we are to avoid further losses. If you know a librarian, buy them a copy of the book, too (I can't imagine many libraries will put this book on the shelves!).
My only quibble with the book, and it's a small one, is that Baker has missed two important points:
1 - the microfilm companies are holding our nation's history hostage; by charging hundreds of thousands of dollars for a run of one newspaper on microfilm they are effectively keeping it out of the hands of libraries and, thus, researchers. If one of the reasons for the mass switch to microfilm was to cut costs, why didn't the libraries dictate terms to the microfilm companies when they started cutting up those precious bound volumes? Many libraries can't even afford to stock the microfilm of their hometown papers!
2 - because microfilm is so expensive, the stated problem of accessibility was not solved. One reason to photograph everything was so that researchers could have improved access to materials. In fact, the opposite has happened. Few libraries own microfilm, and those that do are unwilling to do inter-library loans. Thus, the researcher has to travel to the libraries to do their research or hire local researchers (a cottage industry these days).
No matter - Baker's passionate indictment hits plenty of high points; more than enough to convert most anyone (except perhaps the librarians who were duped for so long that they can't conceive of changing their positions).
I also salute Nicholson Baker for putting his money where his mouth is. His purchase of a good portion of the British Library's American newspaper archives (yes, even in 2000 the libraries are still gleefully disposing of paper) is excellent news. I only wish I'd known about the sale at the time - I would have gladly participated. However, the libraries know darn well that their actions are a public relations nightmare, so they keep these mass disposals very quiet.
Buy this book! Loan it to friends! Get the word out!
6 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
Double Fold exposes the weakest link
By A. Henderson
Enabled by taxpayer funds and foundation grants, the space-saving technocracy provides plenty of material for Baker in this book. Some library managers advance themselves by justifying miserly budgets with myths and misrepresentations rather than by defending the interests of readers. They have made shills and patsies of the well-intentioned majority of librarians, faculty, and policy makers. In higher education, to use pop jargon, they are the "weakest link." They deserve to be sent away.
Some readers have been upset that Baker is critical of the library community. They should be upset. However, the criticism is clearly directed at certain programs that have been used to justify the decimation of collections. If these readers looked beyond DOUBLE FOLD (for instance the 30-year decline in the development of collections or the impossible red-tape of "access not ownership"), I believe they would find much more to be upset about.
Albert Henderson
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