The Library Beyond the Book (metaLABprojects) by Jeffrey T. Schnapp

by Jeffrey T. Schnapp

With textbook readers and digital downloads proliferating, it is easy to imagine a time when printed books will vanish. Such forecasts miss the mark, argue Jeffrey Schnapp and Matthew Battles. Future bookshelves will not be wholly virtual, and libraries will thrive―although in a variety of new social, cultural, and architectural forms. Schnapp and Battles combine deep study of the library’s history with a record of institutional and technical innovation at metaLAB, a research group at the forefront of the digital humanities. They gather these currents in The Library Beyond the Book , exploring what libraries have been in the past to speculate on what they will hybrid places that intermingle books and ebooks, analog and digital formats, paper and pixels.Libraries have always been mix-and-match spaces, and remix is their most plausible future scenario. Speculative and provocative, The Library Beyond the Book explains book culture for a world where the physical and the virtual blend with ever increasing intimacy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Librarianship, Library Science, Books About Books, History

Paperback

First published June 2, 2014

Reviews

[Emma Sea]

quit on page 46: Schnapp's writing style grated like chewing aluminum foil

[Beau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars simply because of the pedantic tone the authors took. I mean, other than for the purpose of passing the GRE, why should anyone type the word "salubrious" in the context of anything? Maybe that's slightly overly critical, but it did color the anti-elitist tone of the ideas of this lovely book a terrible shade of, well, elitism. Other reviewers seem to share this opinion.

[Josh Gunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the language can be dense at times, the book offers a look at some quirky and crazy ideas for making libraries more relevant for modern times. I thoroughly enjoyed this exercise in speculation.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, I should point out what a lovely little creation this book is: solid but simple design, pleasing color scheme, and a nice heft due to good paper stock. The aesthetics continue into the content, which begins with a brief but entertaining comic of time-traveling Melvil Dewey, and continues with colored vertical idea sidebars before concluding in a photo essay of the Harvard Depository (which, frankly, looks as if it needs a good ghost).

The text is equally thoughtful, if a bit, um, academic in tone. (Read: tortuous sentence structure, with a constant foul on the Strunk and White rule of using simple words when simple words will do). Schnapp and Battles are thick with ideas, and while their dissertation-light style slightly impedes the flow, it doesn't by any means stop it, leaving the reader to ponder libraries like Amazon warehouses (accumulibrary) or pop-up topical libraries keyed to events or protests.

Readers expecting practical insights might as well look elsewhere: this is all theoretical, with no specific direction. But all conversations must start somewhere, and there are worse places to begin than with this lovely and thought-provoking volume.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was okay. It offered some interesting and thought provoking questions and ideas about libraries. When I first picked it up I did not think it was going to refer to the Harvard library so much, but having later seen that both authors are affiliated with the school / library, it makes sense.

[kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

No offense meant, but any important message that this book conveyed was hidden by the dense academic language designed to dazzle. I was also underwhelmed by the information imparted as it has been presented by others in less ambiguous language....

[Kirsten T · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Don't be fooled by the comic introduction: this is an academic text.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was remarkable. I found myself energized and inspired and in awe of the poetry that infiltrated the otherwise-fairly-technical language. It confirmed my desire to become a librarian, which is always good, but I especially appreciated the "Provocations," futurist imaginings of projects libraries and librarians could enact. It was short, snappy, rich, passionate, and exciting. I did find it a bit strange that neither of the authors were librarians themselves, which makes me wonder how this book sits amongst library discourse (does that exist?). Regardless, I bought the book for myself (I checked it out from the library, of course).

[Cristel Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toen ik de titel las, dacht ik alle weer een lofzang op de e-library. Maar dat is het helemaal niet. Schnapp is een cultuurhistoricus en komt niet uit de bibliotheekwereld. Misschien net daarom komt hij doorheen een schets van wat bibliotheken doorheen de geschiedenis voor rol gespeeld hebben tot een zeer genuanceerd en zelfs positief beeld van haar toekomst en van de belangrijke rol dat bibliotheekpersoneel daarin zal spelen.

[Keilah Villa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of great information about historical libraries and the future of libraries. However, it was so dense, it felt like I was reading a doctoral thesis. This made a lot of important points hard to understand.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another school/library pleasure book and yup I was able to also use this one in a paper for class LOL-- but also got something from it as they discuss in great detail the library beyond the book, the different structures and functions of storing information whether physical or electronic. For such a slight book with a mere 141 pages there was tons of words and was very densely written with very formal language that made it not a readable book on its face but a great reference source so it did the job. With rich paper and illustrations and the authority of a text or scholarly work this book conveys the importance of preserving and retrieving information in all its forms and challenges the library to continue to advance and grow with technology to benefit not only the library but society as a whole. The book details intricately libraries throughout history then ends with a glowing description on the impressive Harvard Depository, a refrigerated vault of over nine million books and artifacts dedicated to preserving the history of mankind and this awe inspiring feat is not minimized in the least and as the authors are professors and directors from Harvard University the magnitude of this depository is definitely felt. Overall this book is not to be read in one sitting but ingested slowly and repeatedly for reference and inspiration on the continuity, beauty and power all contained within the walls or digital confines of what we know and think of as a library..Deep yo, this book challenges you to view the library as more than the shelves of books you are used to and encompasses the space libraries can and will soon occupy within the world and the Semantic Web. I am so enjoying learning this as I can advocate and educate others on what the library is and why it is still relevant to people other than bookworms like myself—why it is important to know what the future holds for the institution and profession as a whole and how to access anything you ever need or want to know about the record of mankind..Amazing!

[Nate Portnoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book as a whole is engaging, and surprisingly charming. It being image heavy, and well organized made this a brief and attractive read. It's made to be interacted with (like in the red sidebar) and it's content definitely reflects that. In it being a part of the evolving image/conception of a library, I think Schnapp and Battles try to create a piece of literature that is malleable in that same way. Where it's predictions of a future library, make it part of that library.

Although you could have made that point without using the word scapulimancy or frottage.

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for work, it was recommended to our library director and she decided we (the library staff) would read it together and discuss. I had high-ish hopes. It looked pretty good. I like books that mesh mediums and do interesting things with marginalia.

All hopes were dashed.

Literally no one liked it. We all had a lot of problems with the idea presented and I found a lot of the marginalia annoying because half of it contained recommendations of things that already exist like it was new information. I'm an information professional, you do not have to tell me about scavenger hunts. I know about them. They've existed forever. Just because you renamed it "Stackhunter" does not make it a new thing.

Also I found a lot of their theories either horrifically elitist ("Premium Options," it's a library, the point is open access to all, not better access for some) or just idiotic ("Abject Library," a book club for hate-reading, literally. There are so many good books, why would you voluntarily hate-read???).

Just so much uuuggghhhhhhhh...... It was awful. Please read better books about libraries.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it has the same rating, I don't think it's quite as good as "Library: An Unquiet History." It's a little dense and academic at times- I'm not sure the average non-library professional would enjoy it.

However, I thought it was great. I loved the little thoughts on the sides of the pages in red. Some I wanted to implement yesterday. Others I thought were at odds with the profession's commitment to privacy. All were worth reading.

It's a visual book, and a playful one (despite the jargon).

[Mackenzie Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the ideas more than the tone. A fair bit of the things they suggest are already a reality, either at big places like Harvard or little places like the Read/Write Library and probably others in between. This is an essential book for people who have a hard time with change, there's a lot of putting modern libraries in context.

[Sinistmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely dense and inspiring book. It discusses the way library spaces have been used in the past, and the way they are being developed now. There are a lot of cool ideas. The book is both grounded and whimsical; it was a joy to read.

Definitely worth a read if you're at all interested in the directions of libraries.

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I *really* wanted to like this. Neat presentation, theoretical discussions, all the stuff I normally like. Just couldn't get in to it!

[Mary Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hopeful and ingenious inspiration.