LIBRARIANS, DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM, AND E-BOOKS

I had an occasion to ask a librarian how they file e-books in their book collections. At first, it sounds like a dumb question with the answer being they are filed on internet. However, if I walk into a library and ask to see the titles and summaries of books written, for example, by faculty members or on a specific subject and someone points to a computer and say look on the inter net. The answer is like saying to a NSA eavesdropper to listen to interesting phone calls from among all phone calls made in the world. It denies that libraries have a purpose. If I go to a veterinary library (I am a veterinarian) or a specific college library, the collections of each would be different but focused on the subject and on that institution. Of course, within the library, some hard working librarian has cataloged all the books, papers, and magazines by a universal system—electronic books not yet included.

What is the answer? What should the physical form of an electronic library be? First, each electronic book should be on a compact disc and in a dust cover with a spine label and a disc label. Technically, these things are easy, rapidly, and cheaply accomplish—something like $2.00 a copy. In addition, the librarians could file each e-book in an electric database indexed in a manner equivalent to the Dewey Decimal System. Each book should have an author-generated summary. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing “LOOK INSIDE” feature could serve as a model along with cover art. An interested party could check out the disc copy to read on a Kindle, iPAD, or other electronic reading device including the ubiquitous desktop and lap top computer. The expertise is there, the label making programs and blank labels are there (Memorex), the material (discs and dust covers) to do it is there, and best of all, librarians need no new inventions. There are literally thousands of e-books under bushes, between  rocks and hard place, and hanging from trees waiting for the attention of some hard working librarian.

I recently supplied my three books in the suggested format to an Alumni Association Museum, but the idea could apply to most other class of archives with libraries being by far the principle repository format.

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