Do you look around at all your books and bulging, sagging shelves and think, “Gosh, if only I could digitize all these my abode would be so much tidier?” Nah, I didn’t think so. But just in case you said yes or even had to think about it for a second, you may want to consider making your own book scanner. Apparently a DIY book scanner can be assembled for a mere $300 and it is fast enough to scan a 400-page book in about 20 minutes. You have to sit there and turn the pages, but hey, it is Do It Yourself.
Take note that this is not archival quality scanning like libraries do, but most people don’t really need that kind of scan. Oh and of course the publishers are crying foul saying it is copyright infringement. But really, it falls under the first sale doctrine which means if you bought it you can do whatever the heck you want with it except make copies and sell them. It’s like copying those old albums to cassette tapes or copying your cds to your ipod. Theoretically, if you are a person who hates to lend your books for fear they will not come back or be returned damaged, you could scan it and lend your friend the scan.
If you seriously want to build your own scanner, the article linked above includes a link to the step-by-step pdf instructions on how to do it. If anyone does this, please let me know how it works. I don’t want one for myself but I am curious.
Now, off I go to read the assigned chapters for class from The Design of Everyday Things.
Oh, I almost forgot! Josipovici fans, he has a website with a complete bibliography and an announcement that he has a new book coming out. Squee!
And you could read a book while you sat there turning pages for your scanner. So it’s a win-win.
Lol! When I read your title, my only thought was for planks of wood and nails with which to build more bookcases! I’ve photocopied great chunks of books in my time, though, when they had to go back to the UL before I’d finished them!
I thought ‘bookcases’ too and expected a bunch of photos of your new bookshelves!
I had a volunteer job at a historical museum for awhile in high school, and one of my jobs was to photocopy old books and texts. I just about DIED of boredom.
…But $300 could buy a nice big stack of books…I have to say, I’ve done scanning at my work and it has to be one of the most excruciating boring jobs–but maybe this scanner is better!
My husband does not read physical books. He buys a book (often used), rips out the binding, and sends it through a scanner feeder. Then he OCRs the image and reads it in a .txt file on his handheld.
I kid you not. He does not understand my need to read a physical book — and those books he scans I can’t stand to read because they have OCR typos that drive me nuts. It works for him though! If he could do it cheaper, I’m sure he’d want to do it this DIY way–then I could still read the book he’s bought! I’m sending him the link to that article….(Although of course I’m with Danielle on the fact that I’d rather have a stack of books.)
but don’t we just LOVE looking at all of our books?
Softdrink, heh, that’s a very positive way of looking at it though I suspect if you read while scanning it would take a lot longer than 20 minutes to scan the book.
Litlove, LOL, well there is wood and nails involved but they don’t make a bookcase this time
Just think how much easier it would have been to scan the books instead of photocopy them. Maybe you should build one in case of such emergency as having to return the book before you are finished.
Daphne, heh, I could use some new bookshelves too. Only problem is I’m not sure where they’d go. I hear you on how dull photocopying and scanning is. I dread having to scan long articles that have been requested through interlibrary loan.
Danielle, I hadn’t thought of that. I’d much rather have the stack of books too! I hate scanning too.
Rebecca, really? Wow, remind me never to lend a book to your husband
Why doesn’t he buy e-books for his handheld? The OCR errors would make me crazy too.
Bonnie, I do very much love looking at all my books and would never exchange them for scanned copies.
Stefanie, he just uses .txt files as it’s a phone with windows on it. I don’t think most of the books he reads are digital yet but I don’t really know what he reads other than business and management texts sometimes. It works for him, but yeah, the OCR errors drive me nuts!
The Design of Everyday Things sounds interesting — I hope it was at least! And Josipovici has a new book coming out? Excellent!
Um… my hand started getting itchy the more I read. I think I can resist trying, but the technical challenge is tempting. Particularly so, because I get a lot of documents that I mean to read, but don’t want to store.
Rebecca, very interesting. If he’s found a system that works for him, no need to change it!
Dorothy, Design of Everyday Things is turning out to be interesting though I can’t say that it is written all that well. As for Josipovici I was very excited to see a new book on the way.
Bikkuri, I hear you on the documents you want to read piling up. The scanner would be interesting for the technical challenge. If you take it on you must post photos!
I don’t think I’d scan books but this would be great for magazines! I have so many that I save for just an article here and there and this would be a good alternative. Granted I think I’d probably end up using the $300 to buy more books and magazines
Iliana, it would be brilliant for magazines! But you are right, I’d be much more likely as well to spend the $300 on more books and magazines instead of making the scanner