LIBRARY NOTES

Six years ago, I wrote about an interesting concept. I will resurrect my notes and provide them to you with some modification.

The Total Library

In an essay in 1939, Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899 - 1986) discussed an imaginary library that would hold not every book ever written, but every book that could be written.  Remember all those monkeys at typewriters?

Smithsonian magazine (in 2016) writes that the "Library of Babel" exists on the computer of Janathan Basile in Washington, DC.  Basile is only 30 years old, and has figured that such a library would require storage space somewhere in the vicinity of 10 to the power of two million, and he has developed a program that runs when someone plugs in text at libraryofbabel.info. "The program displays all of the pages on which that text would appear if the library were real."

(Does this sound like Google?)

Incidentally, Borges also wrote a short story in 1941 about this subject: "The Library of Babel", "La biblioteca de babel." 

Jonathan Basile is pursuing a PhD at Emory University in Georgia.  He has written about the Babel Library:  Tar for Mortar:, "The Library of Babel" and the Dream of Totality.

I accessed this subject for Mensa.  Deep stuff!

(The website address shown above no longer exists.

New Bedford, Massachusetts Libraries

I've already talked about the potent little library at the First Baptist Church and how it introduced me to a love of books.

The New Bedford Free Public Library was situated about a block away and it was a marvelous place to find almost any book ever published.  This was possible because of a massive bequeath of Sylvia Ann Howland, daughter of the richest lady who ever lived, Hettie Green.  I spent many many pleasant hours looking through their book collections, especially the incunabula which was out in the open for access by anyone.

My wonderful sister-in-law, Janine was a librarian for that institution for years.  She knows all there is to know about libraries.

Baltimore, Maryland's Famous Libraries

The Enoch Pratt Free Library was established by that Massachusetts-born philanthropist in 1882. 

An H.L. Mencken Room was opened in the library in 1956 to house personal papers, books and articles about the famous Baltimore wit.

An Edgar Allen Poe Room was established in the library in 1923 to house everything known about this famous  Baltimore author.

George Peabody Library

Established from funds given freely by another Massachusetts philanthropist in the 19th century, "The most beautiful library in the country, if not the world, a cathedral of books!"

This part of Johns Hopkins University is free to all for hours each day.

Watch out!  Some politicians are starting to ban certain books.  Something that Hitler and his minions did.  Don't let that happen!