GIVE OR TAKE
I have no idea who calculated it, but it is claimed that in order for one to read the books now in our Library of Congress one would have to have clear title to at least fourteen thousand years - give or take a few hundred years either way.
That's a lot of books and a great deal of reading and it, of course, could not be done anyway because the words contained in the new books coming in would always exceed those having been read.
Unless I have been mistaken all these years, I have an idea it is part of out system to require that two copies of everything published must be deposited with the Library of Congress., That would be, of course, every copyrighted item published, which cuts down on the volume somewhat, I would say.
Even then, the monumental pile of printed stuff which would be coming in would b enough to build a few Egyptian pyramids ,or a new wall of China every few months. Where, I wonder do we keep it all, or is Washington. D,C., considering the acquisition of additional lands in surrounding states. Or, it may be that a portion of the holdings are shared with regional libraries all over the nation. That may be part of plan to keep the nation balanced and thus prevent any capsizing into the Potomac Rive wetlands or into the already polluted Chesapeake Bay. When you consider the sheer amounts of copyright protected drivel this might involve you have to think in high figures only a good politician can use with any confidence. The redeeming thing in it all may be the wordage which said two copies were be “deposited with” the Library of Congress. But,does that mean they have to save them?
The published materials would be of all types, and not at all representative of the best our social heritage. What a record these gems might reveal! Earth explorers, centuries from now, might get a rather warped view of our civilization.
I've had trouble, just this past week, in realizing it has been fifty-nine years since D-Day of World War II. For me to even try to comprehend how much material has been written, printed, collated, bound and read in just those few years, is futile.
How much of it all is contained in electronic form, I wonder? Is such a copy considered legal? Certainly we much he beyond the concept of simply stacking copies of every magazine, book, music, recipe in the endless amalgam. Much better, I think on discs, in a fully conditioned area in a file somewhere. Even such a collection would become, in time, a killer for storage. To meet the coming need for extra room we must look to the Moon and Mars. Better get with it, there, NASA. We are going to need either the Moon, or Mars - or both. Better fix those new Mars kiddie cars to carry books and papers.
A.L.M. June 7, 2003 [c540wds]
