Apr 16
001

A Technology Guru Understands Importance of Books: Ironic?

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, Why Choose Paper?

 
Stack of books in Gould's Book Arcade, Newtown...

Stack of books in Gould's Book Arcade, Newtown, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In today’s technological society, many believe, especially technology specialists, that the printed book will eventually be replaced. However, one technology guru is trying to keep one copy of every book ever made to preserve history for future generations.

I saw a segment on CBS Evening News about this topic. His name is Brewster Kahle. Libraries and colleges send him their old books. He scans every book and makes it available online, copyright permitting. The website where these books are available is www.archive.org. However, he also keeps the hard copy in storage.

Librarians send him old books. In the segment, one librarian said it made her feel better because she knew the books were going to a good home.

In the segment, Kahle said all e-books look the same. However, he said physical books provide a different experience.

In an article on Business Insider’s website by Dylan Love titled “Meet The Guy Attempting To Collect Every Book Ever Published Before They’re All Digitized,” he favors digitization but feels that digitization should not make physical books obsolete.

I believe Kahle’s message is a strong one. In the segment, he said that we mustn’t forget where we came from.  In an article on CBS News’ website by Edecio Martinez titled “Archivist builds Noah’s Ark for books on the web” Kahle said “there is always going to be a role for books.”

This just goes to show that even technology specialists recognize the important role the printed word plays and will continue to play in our lives.

Watch the video from CBS Evening News.

Share your thoughts on this topic.

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Apr 15
000

The R.M.S. Titantic was a Royal Mail Ship

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, Why Choose Paper?

 
RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10,...

RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, April 15, 2012, marks the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of The Titanic. America’s fascination with this ship is astounding. I was watching a television show this morning and it said that this year, over 100 books have been published about the Titanic. It’s amazing that something that happened so long ago is still so popular. The movie, Titanic, was just recently re-released in 3D and is bringing long-time fans back to the box office.

However, I just found out that the R.M.S. stands for Royal Mail Ship. The Titanic was a Royal Mail Ship!

According to an article by Jennifer Rosenberg on about.com titled “10 Facts About The Titanic That You Don’t Know,” the Titanic had its own newspaper, The Atlantic Daily Bulletin, on-board that was printed daily. Here is a short excerpt from Rosenberg’s article:

“The R.M.S. Titanic was a Royal Mail Ship, a designation which meant the Titanic was officially responsible for delivering mail for the British postal service. On board the Titanic was a Sea Post Office with five mail clerks (two British and three American). These mail clerks were responsible for the 3,423 sacks of mail (seven million individual pieces of mail) on board the Titanic. Interestingly, although no mail has yet been recovered from the wreck of the Titanic, if it were, the U.S. Postal Service would still try to deliver it (the USPS because most of the mail was being sent to the U.S.).”

I have always been fascinated with The Titanic since I was young. I guess there is just something magical about it. Still to this day, if the movie in on television, even though I’ve seen it a hundred times, I always end up back on that channel.

I think when people watch the movie; they can relate and wonder how they would react in that situation. They sort of place themselves in the movie. However, what those people went through is unimaginable and we must remember that it isn’t just a movie, it really happened.

One survivor, Jack Thayer, wrote a book titled “Jack Thayer and the Wreck of the Titanic.” Here is an overview from Barnes and Noble’s website about the book:

“The Seventeen-Year-Old Son of a Pennsylvania Railroad Official Tells the Moving Story of His Rescue

ONE of the calmest of the passengers was young Jack Thayer, the seventeen-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Thayer. When his mother was put into the lifeboat he kissed her and told her to be brave, saying that he and his father would be all right.

He and Mr. Thayer stood on the deck as the small boat in which Mrs. Thayer was a passenger made off from the side of the Titanic over the smooth sea.

The boy’s own account of his experience as told to one of his rescuers is one of the most remarkable of all the wonderful ones that have come from the tremendous catastrophe. Here, in his own words, is his story.”

Any documents that survived that dreadful day are extremely important to history and are also extremely valuable. Just imagine if you have the front page of the newspaper with the sinking of the Titanic. Also, any tickets or papers offer some glimpse into that night and are probably very valuable.

So if you are a Titanic buff and have some extra time this Sunday afternoon check out Jack Thayer’s book and get a first-hand account of the sinking of the Titanic or go see it in 3D.

Share your thoughts on this topic. Did you know the Titanic was a mail ship?

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Apr 07
000

Easter, Paper, and the Vatican Library

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, Why Choose Paper?

 
The Sistine Hall of the Vatican Library.

The Sistine Hall of the Vatican Library. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the spirit of Easter, I thought I would write about the Vatican library and the most important book in the Catholic faith, the Bible. I saw a short segment about the wonders of the Vatican library a few months ago. It is truly amazing what the library holds.

According to the 60 minutes article “A Rare Look at the Vatican Library’s Treasures,” and video (below), the Vatican library contains two million printed books. The shelves of the library would stretch 31 miles if lined end-to-end.

It contains beautiful, handcrafted and handwritten bibles. For example, the video below shows a Bible from 1476 that took years to make by hand and is embellished in real gold.

However, the Vatican library doesn’t only hold religious books. It holds about 80,000 handwritten manuscripts. It also holds prints, drawings, maps, cookbooks, and coins.

In the article, 60 Minutes discusses one of the most interesting items the library holds: Henry VIII’s love letters that he hand-wrote to his second wife.

On the other hand, some of the most important and unsung heroes of the library are the people who preserve these ancient artifacts. It is tedious work. It can take many months or even years to complete the process. Although the library is not open to the public (it’s only open to scholars), the hope is that these works will be around for future generations to enjoy.

I believe the Vatican library is a shrine to the importance of paper in our history. It is rare today to find books or drawings of that quality. Books were handmade and were considered works of art. Although some books today may still have this quality, I believe much of this art has been lost with the advancement of technology.

How hard we work to preserve artifacts on paper is a testament that paper will withstand the test of time. It is obviously extremely valuable (not necessarily the paper itself, but what and who wrote on it). If it was not important, we would not spend money and tedious hours, months, and years preserving it.

Many say that e-books will replace printed books. Who knows, maybe they will. No matter what, I don’t believe that e-books will ever be stored and preserved like the books, maps, and art that is in the Vatican library. Do you?

If you have a few minutes, check out this short YouTube clip from 60 Minutes about the Vatican Library and tell me what you think. It’s about 12 minutes long, but it is extremely interesting.

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Apr 06
001

No More Paper Dollar Bills?

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, Why Choose Paper?

 
Obverse (left) of the current Sacagawea Dollar...

Obverse (left) of the current Sacagawea Dollar and reverse (right) of the original Sacagawea Dollar, 2000-2008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The United States one dollar note, like all ot...

The United States one dollar note, like all other American dollar bills, is historically green. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What is more American than the one dollar bill? It is what our country stands for. It proudly displays our first president, George Washington. Also, many people frame the first dollar they earn…not the first five dollars or one hundred…the first dollar bill. However, the future of the dollar bill could be in jeopardy.

According to an article on foxnews.com titled “Call for change: Lawmakers push bill to switch to $1 coin,” the House and the Senate have both introduced legislation that would replace the paper one dollar bill for a one dollar coin.

According to the article, the dollar bill became part of the U.S. currency in the 1860s, during the Lincoln administration. The switch could save between $200-to-$500 million because coins stay in circulation longer than paper. However, others argue that it could take 10 years to recoup the money it will take for the switch.

I don’t know how the American public would react to a dollar coin. There are currently dollar coins. I usually only get them at car washes. However, I hardly ever use them. They sit in my coin jar or in my wallet. They are there for emergencies or just in case I need it.

I feel like a lot of people wouldn’t like the switch simply because coins are heavier to carry than a paper bill. From a woman’s perspective, my purse is heavy enough without having to carry around one dollar coins instead of bills.

Bills have been phased out in the past. Take for example the two dollar bill. I have only seen a few in my lifetime. However, bills that are phased out become extremely valuable. So if you have a nice, mint one dollar bill, you may want to hang onto it. It may not be worth anything in our lifetime. However, it could be worth a lot during our children or grandchildren’s generations.

The article states, “A survey this year of voters across the country found roughly 70 percent of them oppose the change. The survey, by Lincoln Park Strategies, a Democratic-leaning public opinion research firm, asked voters in 12 states.”

What are your thoughts? Do you prefer the paper dollar bill or would you like a coin instead? How do you think Americans would react to the change? If it is phased out, do you think the dollar bill would become highly collectible and eventually worth lots of money?

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Mar 16
000

Would March Madness be the Same Without Paper Brackets?

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, Why Choose Paper?

 
2008 NAIA Bracket

Image via Wikipedia

It’s March and that can only mean one thing: college basketball. Now imagine a March without paper brackets! Paper is a very important part of March Madness.

March madness is officially upon us as the first round of the NCAA tournament began yesterday. A lot of people watch the games at work or even call in sick. No matter if you are a college basketball fan or not, you probably have filled out a bracket once in your life.

Some people follow every team and keep up with the latest statistics. However, others simply pick teams by their name or team colors (these are usually the people that do the best!).

According to an article on Bloomberg Business Week’s website by Ira Boudway titled “The Legal Madness Around NCAA Bracket Pools,” here are a couple staggering statistics about how many brackets are filled out each year.

  • PickHoops processes 180,000 brackets annually
  • 4.5 million brackets are filled out at CBS Sports
  • 5.9 million brackets are filled out on ESPN’s free service

These numbers are nowhere close the total amount of brackets filled out annually. According to Boudway’s article, “A 2009 Microsoft survey estimated that 58 million Americans fill out brackets, and according to Las Vegas oddsmaker Pregame.com, about $12 billion is wagered on the tournament.”

Now I’m sure some people fill out brackets online –only. However, a lot of people use paper. Just imagine if 58 million people filled out paper brackets! (That’s a lot of paper).

The goal is to fill out the perfect bracket. The odds are slim-to-none. According to an article on Yahoo News! By Eddie Pells titled, “Picking perfect bracket a tough numbers game,” “If you were to stack the amount of paper it would take to fill in every bracket with every possibility among the 68 teams who will play 67 games over the next three weeks, it would not fit inside the universe.”

Pells’ article also said “According to a study by bookofodds.com, the odds of picking a perfect bracket by always going with the better-seeded team are about 35.3 billion-1.”

However, if you filled out a perfect bracket, I feel like that would be a piece of paper you would be extremely proud of. I imagine the person would frame it!

I always fill out a bracket each year. I don’t use online services. I like to print out my bracket so I can fill it out. I also find it gratifying to check off my wins and losses. I also usually have my paper bracket near me while watching the games.

Share your thoughts. Do you fill out a bracket annually? If so, do you do it electronically or on paper? Tell me why you prefer the method you use? Would March Madness be the same without paper? Have you or anyone you’ve known ever filled out a perfect bracket?

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