The Significances of Books and Their Variations — INFO 200
What is a book?
A storehouse of human knowledge intended for dissemination in the form of an artifact that is portable — or at least transportable — and that contains arrangements of signs that convey information.
Above is the definition provided by Frederick Kilgour, the founding director of a big international computer library network. It is an educated response that intrigues me to contemplate the meaning behind it. Growing up with a lot of exposure to books, I know what a book looks like, feels like, and the content within one as well. But never have I really put time and effort into thinking about the history of books and what set it apart from other forms of reading platforms. However, the lectures and readings I’ve received from INFO 200 directed me towards a different understanding of books.
The origin of books dated back to thousands of years ago, and the artifacts that we could still view today carry with them the imprints of time. Looking at these artifacts, it feels like I could almost see the history of them unfolds in front of my eyes. They bear an educational, sentimental, and physical feeling as there are interactions going back and forth between the books and the readers. Books vary in forms as well, and they could take any shape, be made of papyrus or recycled paper, be hand-written or printed, light or heavy, have a paperback or hardcover, etc… Readers have various options they could choose from, and can pick out whichever books that best satisfy their expectations and personal tastes. Leaving aside the content of the books, they offer a variety of experiences to each reader — every book has a unique appearance, weight, design, etc that separate them from each other. Books, however, cannot perform as many functions as digital variants. A page on a book cannot magically appear after a few interactions with buttons, nor can click on a paragraph and choose the option of having it be read to us.
Five Elements of Major Innovations
societal needs for information
technological knowledge and experience
organizational experience and capability
the capability of integrating a new form of existing information systems
economic viability
These are the 5 elements addressed by Kilgour, each has their own unique and importance. I am aware that there are cases when not all five elements could be present, as each situation is unique to its own. Humanity proceeds with an ongoing acquirement for knowledge and information, meaning that books will continue to be one of the contributing factors to such needs. As society evolves with transforming technologies, user’s experience is enhanced with helpful developments, but also standards are raised as well. With an abundant of information so readily available in this world, it requires an organized system that could help sort out and categorize information into their suitable “folders” for convenient accessibility. With these elements in mind, there needs to be adequate sum of financial resources that could help execute and maintain these elements, that is economic viability. But in my personal perspective, the most influential and important element among those listed above is the adaptability of the book form. As humanity become more familiar with advancements in technology and in their way of approaching information in general, it is salient for books to have the ability to transform to adapt to user’s expectations. Books need to keep the ability to appeal to their readers, and maintain that attachment so that other elements could then be continued or pursued. If one day, humanity decides to stop reading books or accepting their newly adapted forms, how could we win back their interests with the other elements?
