The What
A collection of links, excerpts, quotes, anything, really. All categorised as being in The Library, and tagged with relevant topics and potential linkages.
The Why
The world does not need another curated newsletter full of recommendations and links (which isn’t to say I don’t enjoy such morsels, especially when they are included as part of a wider update by a creative whose work I enjoy). But what the world does need more of is collaboration.
I have been trying for some time to establish a digital filing system for all the links I’ve saved over the years, and my accompanying half-baked scribbles, and I haven’t settled on any one thing. I love the idea of a zettelkasten, especially one using a physical (wooden, of course) filing cabinet, though I do also very much appreciate Obsidian. The problem with this method, though, is that it requires the creator to do the joining up and, given my current family situation (two small or smallish children of the daughter variety), I am not guaranteed to find the time to do such a note-keeping system justice. Besides, I increasingly find myself appreciating a good search function, and utilising categories and tags. Sharing records here digitally will be more than adequate, and hopefully, in time, so much more than the sum of each individual blog post part.
And, yes, collaboration: I debated for a while whether or not to create and make available The Library online, especially whether to include any additional notes and thoughts of my own, or highlighted sections. But I have so many links and thoughts and ideas that it seems churlish to hoard them all, just in case I might be able to use them at some point in the future. Hopefully, one day, I will indeed make use of some of them, but certainly not all of them (other than in that amorphous way in which we all consciously or subconsciously absorb and apply or utilise what we have read). In addition to this, my interests and priorities change, so I don’t even necessarily want to follow up on the various leads I’ve accumulated and threads I have already started to weave.
These records might, however, be of interest to you and others. And I would love to hear your own thoughts on these, and to follow any breadcrumbs into the forest of libraries out there, should you feel so inclined to share.
The When
In the first instance, I will be sharing updates to The Library throughout Spring 2023. After that, I’ll take a call on whether I want to continue. I will aim for a record a day minimum, though I’m sure there will be sporadic bursts of activity that fit my current availability to do anything that doesn’t include daughter wrangling. Likewise, it would be nothing short of a miracle if I actually managed to post something every day (and eagle-eyed readers will note that this, indeed, is being shared on the second day of Spring).
The Where
All library records can be accessed here, in the order in which they have been shared.