ON 'THE END OF PRIVATE LIBRARIES'

In response to The End of Private Libraries. First posted on hn.

Head over to r/bookshelfdetective and you’ll see a bunch of folks hyped to share their libraries with the world. Maybe such folk are a dwindling but more vocal crowd. Maybe not.

Numbers aside, this line makes me think OP is missing the point:

I bought the book because I like having a visual, tangible record of the time this book and I spent together. I like scanning my shelves and seeing proof of a rich reading life.

If this is why you have books (I’ve heard them called “audiobook-trophies” or “kindle-trophies”), you’re missing out on what a library can do for you. A library kept in OP’s way shows how many books he’s got through. What matters his how many books get through him. The proof of a good reading life is inside you. It’s not furniture for your living room.

What is a good library then if not a trophy case? It’s got books that you go back to again and again. It’s got books you’ve not read yet but whose spines reminds you of gaps in what you know. It’s aimed at the long-term, a collection of pages whose text will never reflow or get a pushed update. It’s markings won’t change, letting you have a talk with your older self.

I have many audiobooks and ebooks, and they’re better at some things than physical books. Still, what a hard drive can’t do what a personal library can.