New Left Review 107, September-October 2017
rebecca lossin
AGAINST THE UNIVERSAL LIBRARY
In
2004, I decided to become a librarian. I did so because I love reading
and I needed to make a living in a fashion that would not, or so I
hoped, leave me feeling alienated and depressed. In particular, I love
reading books. Often long and dedicated to a single idea, argument or
story, books are also incredibly durable. They can survive coffee
spills, the interior of my over-stuffed handbag, and if my niece pulls
them off the table, I am not faced with a small financial crisis. The
best thing about a printed book, however, is what it does not do.
I cannot use it to watch television or check my email. My mother will
never call me on it. My boss will never use it to interrupt me. In an
age of constant media distractions, having a single object dedicated to a
single activity—reading—is increasingly important. If nothing else,
books that cannot be searched by keyword remind us that good ideas are
not always efficiently come by—that learning takes time.
