Date:         Fri, 5 Jan 2007 17:53:04 -0500
Reply-To:     Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
              <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:       Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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From:         Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: Interesting WSJ Article on when libraries should discard
              their holdings.
Comments: To: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8"; reply-type=original

yes, and what gets saved is somewhat haphazard. For my pet interest of ye olde audio writings, I've 
had much better luck with old timers, ebay and sometimes my friend at LOC rather than any library 
within any logical travel distance. One day, hopefully, some youngster with "obscure" interests will 
get between my "archives" and the dumpster.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "RA Friedman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2007 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Interesting WSJ Article on when libraries should discard their holdings.


> The value of material is usually not known by the people who collect it. What's has no research 
> value now, may have huge potential later on.
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List on behalf of Karl Miller
> Sent: Fri 1/5/2007 9:21 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Cc:
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Interesting WSJ Article on when libraries should discard their holdings.
>
>
>
> Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:    All this culling at libraries is a screaming 
> endorsement of Google's plot to digitize as many
> printed words as possible and make it all searchable. Yeah, they're going to have to make their
> money back and yeah there are copyright issues. But 100 years down the line, people might be very
> thankful that their digitizing engine was running full throttle as printed books got dumpstered.
>
> -- Tom Fine
>
>   I agree. Much of what is archived is that which was collected by individuals and organizations 
> other than libraries. I have often wondered if we were left with what libraries retain...our 
> measure of our history would be Harry Potter and no Hemingway...lots of Britney Spears and no 
> Coltrane.
>
>   Well, come to think about it, Britney probably says more about our society than Coltrane.
>
>   Karl
>
>
>