A Bookless University

            There’s a rumor going around that my school plans to rid itself of all printed books and literature in the next 25 years.  Somehow I doubt it’s true, but the hypothetical is funny to think about.  The transition would just leave too much space.  It would be gratifying to see my alma mater blossom into the least claustrophobic school in the country, but that’s about the only foreseeable perk.  Space saving is cool and so is the security of digital archives, but let’s face it—books and shelves are essential ingredients for aesthetically-pleasing interior design.  To get rid of one would be to render the other useless, and then what would we fill rooms with?  Still, after experiencing a year’s worth of frustration at campus libraries and bookstores, the solution doesn’t seem all that bad.

On the surface, my college’s undergraduate library is no more offensive than the one at my high school: No drinks allowed, no talking allowed, and—if you really have to—try not to be too loud.  The major difference, though, is that my high school library was just a study space with decorations.  Here, I have to interact with the leather-bound stacks that once served as background.  And I’ve learned that checking out books is harder than it used to be.  Of course, then I only researched within the kids’ section (where the books are arranged by color, and separated into “pop-up” style or “not”.) 

Today I have to contend with something called the Dewey Decimal System if I want to find the right title.  The name may sound like it belongs to some sort of candy-making machine, but mark my words-- DDS is not delicious or systematic.  It’s just an ineffective method of sorting books.  Here is the argument I would have with the guy who invented the Dewey Decimal System (presumably Mr. Dewey):

            ME: “With all due respect, sir, I find it much easier to find books in stores, when they are classified by genre and positioned alphabetically-by-author.  Why don’t libraries just do that?”

            MR. DEWEY: “Well does your hot shot bookstore even have an eighth as many texts and multimedia as a college library?”

            ME: “No, but a bookstore exists that carries eight times as many books as my bookstore.  You can alphabetize no matter how many you have. 

            MR. DEWEY: “By gosh, Lad, I stand corrected.  You have decimated my decimals. 

            But don’t get me wrong, it’s not like campus bookstores aren’t irritating in their own right.   Go in to buy a hoodie your first week there (obligatory,) but don’t waste your time when it comes purchasing books at the beginning of term.  40% of the time they are cheaper elsewhere, 40% of the time you can borrow one from someone who already took the class, and 20% of the time they aren’t even necessary. 

            Books complicate my life these days, but I’m still glad that they exist.  Whether they die out at the hand of the computer scanner--or else by something more Bradbury-esque--I’ll appreciate them while I can. 

Peace, Love & Personalized Media,

-John the Intern

http://DailyMe.com