When a Bookstore Closes, an Argument Ends

We need more analysis of "uncanny valley" boundaries between F2F discovery and atomized collaborative filtering. E.g. Amazon reviews can be better than algo recommendations for book discovery. From the article:

"By atomizing our experience to the point of alienation—or, at best, by creating substitutes for common experience (“you might also like…” lists, Twitter exchanges instead of face-to-face conversations)—we lose the common thread of civil life ... Books are not just other luxury items to be shopped for. They are the levers of our consciousness."

"By atomizing our experience to the point of alienation—or, at best, by creating substitutes for common experience"

I don't know much about the social life in France, but in the US we've done this with the last couple of generations independent of computers and in response to, unjustified statistically, fear. We plan our children's activities and kill opportunities for exploration and organic growth. We lock people up who leave their kids to run as previous generations because we need to make everything safe.

Amazon does not lead, we were already there and they filled a need. Our common thread is planned, isolated, micro-metered, and safe.

There seems to me to be a general problem of too many books. It makes me a little sick to say that, but I think it's true. We built a Little Free Library (1) and we get way more books than we have room for. We throw away complete crap (e.g., anything from a Fox News author) and donate a Ikea bag (2) full to Goodwill about once a month. It's like instead of sharing books, we've become a sink for the neighborhood's infinite sources of books.

I personally own a lot of books. Within the professons, I think it's safe to say medicine is known for having a lot of books; within medicine, pathologists are known for having a lot of books; among the pathology residents, I'm known for having a lot of books.

Much like the rug seller becomes a collector of the best rugs, we are becoming keepers of an insane library. I anticipate our special collections will eventually beat the local public library's.

The point is: people are consuming a huge number of books. And shedding some of them. Just the number they shed is overwhelming.

The house behind us is up for sale. I wonder if I should approach the buyers (some investors) about converting it to a book cafe?

(1) http://littlefreelibrary.org/

(2) https://www.google.com/search?q=ikea+shopping+bag

I, too, am a member of the ebook master race. As a passionate and frequent reader, I'm awed by the revolution in portability, quality, availability provided by ebooks.

...but I can also afford them. When I was a kid, I spent every day in the local bookstore sitting on the floor, reading everything I could get my hands on. (Ironically, this was only possible at the larger bookstores and chains; the smaller indie types for which everyone waxes nostalgic would never allow it, though I hardly blame them.) My mom shares my love of literature, and bought every book I ever requested, but she could never have afforded a tenth of the in-store books I devoured.

Starbucks and ebooks are huge improvements from paper warehouses, but I wonder what would happen if I were born today and paper book stores vanished from the world. Libraries don't necessarily fill the same niche, in terms of the quality of both the branches and their clientele. The public library where I grew up was in a dangerous area, filled with junkies and surrounded by gangsters, and I just wouldn't have had the same opportunities to read unmolested as I did at bookstores.

Though now that I'm re-investigating public libraries, I've been nothing but impressed by their quality. Outside of rough neighborhoods and the constant threat of closure, public libraries may be the best possible opportunities for modern kids.

Local public libraries have had this problem since they were invented. Weeding is a huge part of managing a collection.

My FIL is a director of a public library system. Weeds tons of books.