Stamatakis: Libraries could be great again, if only we removed the books

“As a way to connect two pieces of paper, there are few better tools than a stapler. Without the aid of electronics, a piece of zinc-plated steel is punctured into two sheets of paper and then bent, combining the two into one.

This is the design function of a stapler. It performs best when used for this purpose. For other uses of a stapler, success is not a guarantee. If used as a hammer, for instance, a stapler will only work in limited circumstances. In the best case, an older, heavier, metal model might work to get a nail through soft wood, but even then, the hand positioning and effort required would make the task awkward. The modern library is a stapler, and we are all using it as a hammer.”

via Nick Stamatakis