Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper
Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper by Nicholson Baker, published by Random House on April 10, 2001, is a thought-provoking exploration of the practices surrounding the preservation of original bound newspapers and brittle books in American libraries. This first edition, comprising 384 pages, delves into the shift from physical collections to microfilmed copies, examining the motivations behind this trend and its implications for cultural heritage.
In this book, Baker passionately argues for the importance of maintaining original documents, detailing how significant libraries, including the Library of Congress, have compromised public trust by dismantling irreplaceable collections. The narrative features a range of stakeholders, from librarians to government agencies, and highlights the complexities of the brittle-paper crisis. Readers will encounter a compelling discussion on the fate of libraries, newspapers, and the preservation of history, making this work a significant contribution to the discourse on libraries and their role in safeguarding our recorded heritage.
Official synopsis Publisher
Since the 1950s, our country’s greatest libraries have, as a matter of common practice, dismantled their collections of original bound newspapers and so-called brittle books, replacing them with microfilmed copies. The marketing of the brittle-paper crisis and the real motives behind it are the subject of this passionately argued book, in which Nicholson Barker pleads the case for saving our recorded heritage in its original form while telling the story of how and why our greatest research libraries betrayed the public trust by auctioning off or pulping irreplaceable collections. The players include the Library of Congress, the CIA, NASA, microfilm lobbyists, newspaper dealers, and a colorful array of librarians and digital futurists, as well as Baker himself — who eventually discovers that the only way to save one important newspaper is to buy it. Double Fold is an intense, brilliantly worded narrative that is sure to provoke discussion and controversy.
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