New ways to read old materials
The whole idea of reading stuff on the screen is obvious to me, although I don’t (yet) own one of the fancier gadgets that the marketplace keeps pushing out, one innovative idea after another. I tried to get into the habit with a used Palm Pilot which was acquired on eBay, but there are more important things to do with that tiny screen, ( like controlling shortwave radios). I read online newspapers, every day, and the odd book has been perused, thanks to the unsung heros of the Usenet. I even own a scanner, although the lack of Twain drivers for Vista, or any support under Linux leave me perplexed. What if I could leave the biomass of dreams between covers stored in my basement, and convert the important titles to something easily stored on the Net?
I’ll probably not make my mark in the world for having digitized a personal library, but others are hard at work in my place. Today, another blogger remarked on the efforts underway at UPEI to digitize some of the cooler stuff that interests Islanders at home and away. I have a paper set of the Island Magazine and I store it proudly, because each issue came from the efforts of others that hold similar interests in history. I remember its launch over three decades ago, as a friend from campus had mentioned the beginning of a new forum for researchers. Now, I harvest the previous year’s bounty while on summer vacation, and wait for the dead of winter to get a gutful of culture.
The library has also digitized some of the old student newspapers from St. Dunstan’s, which leaves me hope that the Cadre will also get a chance to go under the scanner. How about the Nexus; so many faces over the years, all ready to celebrate any occasion while in pursuit of the “degree”. Yes, some of us still care about those black and white records of our past.
