To date, I’ve only read a portion of my total collection; many I have intended to read for a long time, but (to be realistic) probably never will. These are my aspirational books, you might say. Of those I've read, perhaps 10 percent -- or a couple hundred -- have influenced me beyond measure. These are the books I’ve purchased multiple times throughout my journeys; I often give away copies to students, friends, and even casual acquaintances when the impulse strikes. So I reside inside a self-curated library of sorts, an environment that I've more or less replicated whenever and wherever I've relocated, which has been roughly a dozen times over the past four decades.
But lately, something about this very intimate part of my life has started to change. As I was sitting in my living room with a friend recently, contemplating all of my books, my friend suggested that these books actually are relics of a bygone era. Technology has rendered my propensity to collect print volumes a rather quaint trait. Global climate change has rendered it ecologically unsound. And the cost of space in San Francisco has rendered it ultimately unsustainable.
eBook reading devices like nook are capable of holding all of the books I own -- and desire to own -- in a unit about the size of a paperback. Thus, I could (and probably should) downsize this library of mine and make it mobile. In the process, I could reduce my personal carbon footprint, as well as free up lots of space at home and on the road.
Plus, my friend suggested that day, I could sell some of these books, and make enough to cover the cost of a new eReader (and then some). Her logic was flawless, of course, and it set me down a path that would have been unimaginable even a year or two ago: selling or giving away most of my collection.
I'm almost resolved to making this bold move, but it's hard. Many of these volumes evoke moments and feelings that are still vivid, though long past; some from tropical days reading in India and Malaysia, others from chilly nights in Russia and Japan. How can I just let go of these memories?
I guess a digital library is something I'll have to build gradually over time, like I did with print books. When I think of it that way, it's doesn't seem like such a radical step. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'll keep my memories forever.
I wonder if you're feeling the same way. Where are you on the path from print to digital?
