click to enlargeMozy is company that provides online backup and storage solutions. In a recent blog post, Physical Storage vs. Digital Storage, they provided an astounding visual depiction of the advance of technology as it relates to the storage of information.Above is section from the graphic relating to books. Using the Library of Congress as a jumping off point, Moxy claims that they can now store the equivalent of 1000 LOC's without breaking a sweat.That is 32 billion books and 650,000 miles of bookshelves. Enough bookshelves to go from Jerusalem to Beijing 147 times! Now, that's a Great Wall.Essentially, the...
Public Collectors : Share Your Collection with the World
Public Collectors is the brainchild of Marc Fisher. Its goal is to allow "large collections of materials to become accessible so that knowledge, ideas and expertise can be freely shared and exchanged," and is "founded upon the concern that there are many types of cultural artifacts that public libraries, museums and other institutions and archives either do not collect or do not make freely accessible."Tremendous potential here for the book world. Creates an opportunity for collectors to add their wares to the public domain allowing the gems of their collections to be accessed by scholars, researchers and other interested parties.Now...
History Through Food : Eating in Toronto, 1830-1955
Local Flavour: Eating in Toronto, 1830-1955 is currently on view at The Toronto Public Library's TD Gallery . The exhibition features highlights from the library's Special Collections and looks at "Toronto’s history through cooking and dining" The exhibit includes cookbooks, advertisements and photographs."The exhibition traces 125 years of culinary history in Toronto from the publication of early cookbooks to the development of household appliances; the rise of manufactured and convenience foods; grocery stores; victory gardens and rationing during the war years; dining out and the growing sophistication of an urban palate."The exhibit is curated by librarian Sheila Carleton of the...
Digital Revisionism
I found this gem while researching a recent acquisition.This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literatureForget the fact that the book in...
On the Trail West
Between 1847 and 1869, when the last rail was laid completing the intercontinental railroad, scores of men, women and children hit the trials heading west to begin a life. It was the 19th century pursuit of the American dream.Trails to Utah and the Pacific: Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869 is an online exhibit sponsored by the American Memory project at the Library of Congress. It features the overland diaries and letters of those that risked it all to find a new life in the west. The exhibit includes 49 diaries in their entirety, over 40 maps and over 80 photographs and...