|
|
|
categorizer (Librarian) & free thinker (Artist) not eye candy emphasize
particular ideas/themes – defining these new "books" - it's in the eye of the beholder so you'll need to depend on my expertise for now explosion of eBook activities since I received this grant The History of the Book/The Future of the Book What kind of culture will we have when we no longer use the
direct observation of nature as the basis for learning art & how can we
develop intellectually without books as we know them? Take a world, multicultural view toward the project Does what came before matter more or less in an electronic age? Perhaps weave some of my book & mail art scans into this special website Have a competition or drawing or prize or...? Not passive viewers but active participants & thinkers Purpose: The purpose is to
explore the future of the book. To some in the McKendree community, the book
still represents the standard format for delivering information. For others, the
book is the symbol of all that is old and dated. After all, many of the students
we teach are more comfortable with computers than they are with traditional
books and, in fact, even prefer reading from a monitor.
From
Gutenberg to Gates, cuneiform to CD, the multicultural and multidisciplinary
field of book history encompasses a rich legacy and vocabulary. Still, “…the
road ahead is not as smooth as digital missionaries predict nor as slippery as
traditional bibliophiles fear,” according to the University of Virginia and
INTERQUEST in their report, Network,
Screen and Page: The Future of Reading in a Digital Age. Holman Library is
the ideal site to challenge both perspectives. My proposal has its roots in a
grand academic tradition, while pointing the way toward the use of cutting-edge
thinking and technologies. The
show will expose the entire campus community to a new way of considering the
book in electronic form, engineered for both research and artistic purposes. I
wish to have the observers of the exhibition never think of a book in the same
way again and to excite the viewers about the creative potential of the book in
digital form. Exploring the book’s future is important not only to librarians,
but also to all library users
and book owners. Clifford Lynch, Executive Director of the Coalition for
Networked Information, rightly states that “new technologies may promote a
continual series of planned obsolescence for all types of content. Imagine
having to replace one’s personal library every ten years due to planned and
enforced technological obsolescence.” Now is also the time for the College
community to rethink their preconceptions of a “library.” The exhibited
works will confront significant issues such as how information will be delivered
in the future, the redefinition of the reading process, archiving texts and
electronic copyright. Book Past, Book Present, Book Future: I believe the opportunity exists for transforming and energizing our entire College community around a particular theme, "The Book: 2000 & Beyond." To some, the book still represents the standard form for delivering information. For others of us, the book is the symbol of all that is old and dated. Although both extremes are defensible, it is certain that the book remains a marvelous invention, uniquely manufactured for the human body. Nothing can take its place because of that fact, alone. The book is a form and a format, a vessel of context filled with content. It possesses an internationally rich history and vocabulary worthy of extensive study. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently reported that book history has become "a particularly hot topic in the humanities and not just in the United States." I can testify to the fact that the same is true of book art, as well. The Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP http://www.indiana.edu/~sharp/), created in 1991, provides a global network for nearly 1000 book historians. The Guild of Bookworkers (http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw/), founded in 1906, is as large and combines the talents of bookbinders, printers, conservators, calligraphers, papermakers and the like. These are two examples of the dozens of professional organizations currently serving the discipline. From
Gutenberg to Gates, cuneiform to CD, this multicultural and multidisciplinary
field encompasses the creation, dissemination, and reception of script and
print. Areas of study include the social, cultural, and economic history of
authorship, book trade history, copyright, censorship, the art of the book,
literacy, book distri-bution, literary criticism, reading methods and habits,
libraries and much more. I am
suggesting, at least initially, an umbrella series of workshops, guest lectures,
presentations, exhibits, etc., around the theme of "The Book 2000."
Perhaps the faculty might be willing to consider the addition of one lecture,
each, to such an enterprise. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see poets interacting
in a studio or math class - our religious scholars explaining the importance of
the Tower of Babel to an anthropology class - the computer science faculty
describing virtual books to future historians or McKendree students preparing
their own, limited edition book, created entirely from handmade materials? The
possibilities and combinations are endless. The theme
would be an opportunity to rejuvenate us all, to review the enormous
contribution of books to culture and to look ahead to technological advances in
the academic environment. I think it could enliven classroom discussions and
student programming. After all, many of the students we teach are more
comfortable with computers than they are with books. This fresh
examination of the book could use the new millennium as a springboard, but it is
not necessary. The development of such a program any time in the future would be
worthwhile. Obviously,
space is at a premium on campus, as is time. Why not locate several
of the out-of-the-classroom projects in the Library? I am always looking
for ways to increase faculty & student traffic in the Library and to focus
on the Library's resources and collections. I strongly believe that "where
the faculty lead, the students follow." This might also be a positive way
of drawing attention to our new classroom building, once completed. No doubt,
grant funds could and should be vigorously pursued to support such a project.
I'm
uniquely qualified to act as a catalyst for such an undertaking, not only
because of my position on the faculty, but also because of my creative focus on
unusual book structures. I love combining words and images in every form from
electronic books to the traditional codex to snowglobe bookworks. I have
lectured and exhibited on related topics across the country. Since no exhibit
space exists on campus, I will be delivering a "Brown Bag" discussion
about my work this fall. Time permitting, I would like to be involved as much as
my activities and responsibilities allow. I
leave you with this thought from Ecclesiastes 12:12, "Of making many books
there is no end, …"
|
|
|