The picture of neat shelves brought to mind a sign that was often seen in offices: "A clean desk is the sign of a cluttered mind". And of course the famously cluttered desk of Albert Einstein. That led me on a wild Google chase through the conflicting pronouncements on clean and cluttered desks, e.g. https://www.ableventures.in/cluttered-desk-cluttered-mind-empty-desk/, and
For me as a retired South African librarian who makes a habit of visiting and photographing small-town public libraries (https://peterlor.com/library-abc/), neat shelves are a worrying symptom. Neat shelves (edged or not) point to unused libraries, where it is easy to photograph the books, but often patrons (who makes for more engaging pictures) are few and far between. A moderate degree of disorder is good; it shows that the books are used.
Such a curious topic. My books have run out of shelves and are piled in growing numbers in stacks on the floor. I await my daughter to dispose of them sometime in the future given my advanced age. She is aware of the local Friends of the Library where books go to be resold or used. After all, many of my books were via the used bins and Amazon or Abe; can't quite afford new generally. On my many shelves books are neither backed nor edged. They just are. And, oh la, the dust. Perhaps the person who assists me can add a shelf dusting to the weekly cleaning assistance.
But thanks for an introduction to the proper display of these precious relics.
¨Before discussing edging any further, it is first necessary to discredit the barbarous practice of backing.¨
elm the barbarian here. {swings axe around}
elm
the directions for the package installation left something to be desired
The picture of neat shelves brought to mind a sign that was often seen in offices: "A clean desk is the sign of a cluttered mind". And of course the famously cluttered desk of Albert Einstein. That led me on a wild Google chase through the conflicting pronouncements on clean and cluttered desks, e.g. https://www.ableventures.in/cluttered-desk-cluttered-mind-empty-desk/, and
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2011/02/post_165.html.
For me as a retired South African librarian who makes a habit of visiting and photographing small-town public libraries (https://peterlor.com/library-abc/), neat shelves are a worrying symptom. Neat shelves (edged or not) point to unused libraries, where it is easy to photograph the books, but often patrons (who makes for more engaging pictures) are few and far between. A moderate degree of disorder is good; it shows that the books are used.
Peter Lor, Knysna, South Africa
Such a curious topic. My books have run out of shelves and are piled in growing numbers in stacks on the floor. I await my daughter to dispose of them sometime in the future given my advanced age. She is aware of the local Friends of the Library where books go to be resold or used. After all, many of my books were via the used bins and Amazon or Abe; can't quite afford new generally. On my many shelves books are neither backed nor edged. They just are. And, oh la, the dust. Perhaps the person who assists me can add a shelf dusting to the weekly cleaning assistance.
But thanks for an introduction to the proper display of these precious relics.