“It’s a perfect technology.”

I’m in library school, so I spend a lot of time talking to people about what the future of librarianship, and books, might look like. I think my choosing to enter library school already illustrates my opinion on the profession. As to books: Maybe one day thousands of years in the future, books will be gone. But not yet, not in our lifetimes because books are still the best. Sometimes, I must admit, these convictions aren’t enough to keep me from worrying.

I think one day librarians will do things very differently than they do now, but that’s life. As “Bear” put it, “Librarianship isn’t dying, it’s just changing.”

During our conversation, Bear also had one of the most simultaneously eloquent and brief assessment of why books are not going anywhere:

“Books are a perfect technology.”

Yes, books are heavy and bulky. But they can do everything. And reading devices can’t. And they don’t hurt your eyes, but reading devices do.

It just made such perfect sense, hearing those five words, that I want to start an ad campaign for books expressly so I can use that statement as a slogan. How can something be rendered obsolete when it’s the only perfect device around?

Thumbs down

I’m not sure why I’m bothering to post this except that it’s all just so ridiculous.

Basically, I’m a klutz. I’ve ruined one of my knees from continuously falling on it. I also seriously harmed an ankle leading to the purchase of an ankle brace and the decision to remove my habitual ankle bracelet which seemed to be interfering with the healing process (because I’d wear it in the shower and it would be damp I think).

The one comfort was that, aside from the odd toaster burn or paper cut, my injuries did not extend to my upper body. Then, of course, I had to go and hurt my thumb.

Nine of my fingers are double jointed. I can bend them backwards toward the back of my hand, bend back the fingertips and flex the joints which is a double jointed thing that is hard to explain but you’d know it if you saw it. That is true of all of my fingers except for my left thumb.

So. The other day, a couple of weeks ago, I was reading a book or something and moved my hand. My thumb moved at a weird angle, but I didn’t think anything of it. Until I realized that it still hurt a couple of days later.

Conclusion: I accidentally popped my left thumb out of its socket and when I moved my hand it popped back in–kind of like when a dislocated shoulder goes back into its socket. It’s the stupidest thing ever, but it has managed to make my abundantly aware of my left thumb’s joint.