bootleg library sessions

The bootleg library sessions are a series of open workshops in which we will:

create user accounts
collectively determine the development of desired features in the library
upload and catalogue texts
classify texts in shelves, both public and private
download, read, annotate and discuss texts
digitise printed matter, including scanning and OCR
design, print and bind books for the physical bootleg library

Description pad: https://pad.xpub.nl/p/Bootleg_Library_Workshop_Sessions_full_text

bootleg library at PZI: introduction

Description pad: https://pad.xpub.nl/p/Bootleg_Library_Workshop_Sessions
bootleg library sessions pad: https://pad.xpub.nl/p/bootleg_library_sessions

Some feedback collected during introductory sessions:

Languages

user feedback	decision
1. Descriptions of non-English texts: what is the best protocol? 2. Finding texts in non-English languages - possibly hard to find digital files, easier to find in print?	1. They should be in the language of the text, with an English translation if possible 2. Digitise printed texts using the bookscanner

Categorising

user feedback	decision
1. There is a lot of redundancy on the "categories" page. Categories are defined by tags - which are written subjectively, or downloaded from existing data on the uploaded books. There should be a distinction between categorising texts, and tagging them. 2. Tags are case-sensitive, leading to multiple entries of the same tag (e.g. Media Theory vs Media theory vs media theory)	1. Create a series of general categories, and then tags can exist as sub-categories. Further to this, can tags also be used dynamically? E.g. being able to highlight more popular tags? Tagging people? 2. Force all tags to be in lowercase

Cataloguing

user feedback	decision
1. We noticed that if an article is uploaded from JSTOR, the book automatically takes the JSTOR logo as the cover. Is this because it is watermarked on the first page of the PDF?	1. Could watermarking be a way to make covers of future uploaded PDFs?

Interface

user feedback	decision
1. Upload cover from local drive - currently only accepts jpegs, and the field remains empty after you choose a jpeg to upload 2. "Submit" button vs "Upload format" button - a bit confusing because of placement, similarity of meaning between "submit" and "upload" 3. "Get" metadata is ambiguous 4. Not possible to create shelves while in book view, limiting the functionality. Being able to create a shelf while looking at a book would be a more immediate use of the shelves 5. At the moment, it's not possible to see who uploaded what. This limits the sociality of the site - it might be a nice way to recommend other texts if we can see who uploaded them 6. If you click on a shelf, you get the option to download its contents - this is currently done one-by-one. 7. No ability to change username at present - what if people want to use a handle rather than their real name, but don't think about this when making their account? 8. Journal articles - how do you enter a season, e.g. "Autumn, 1977"? 9. At present, there is no ability to see the whole collection without filtering - e.g. you can only see by "recently added", "read" or "unread" etc. What if you want to see the entire collection?	1. Allow png to be accepted, and make it clearer within the interface that the cover image has been uploaded (perhaps with a thumbnail of it?) 2. Create a clear distinction between uploading a new format of the same text, and submitting metadata, e.g. "upload", and "add new format" 3. Change "get" for "download" 4. Create this functionality 5. Implement a feature in book view that recommmends books that are related, and/or recommends the reader who uploaded the book 6. Include an option to download everything on a shelf 7. Create this functionality 8. Create this functionality 9. Implement a feature allowing user to browse everything without filtering

bootleg library at Varia's L.E.D. (Library and Electronic Depot)

Varia is a collective-space in Gouwstraat, Rotterdam. On the last Sunday of each month they open their doors to the public to read books from their library and repair electronics, in what is known as the L.E.D (Library & Electronic Depot). I asked to hold a bootleg library session at the first L.E.D., which ended up being a sunny, relaxing afternoon sitting on cushions, discussing bootlegs, scanning, piracy, and the type of strategies that the physical bootleg library could employ.

photos

The physical bootleg library and books set up on a table
Section of books
Section of books, cont.
Flyers, in EN & NL
Session participants reading, scanning
Cards used by participants to write suggestions, thoughts

https://pad.xpub.nl/p/Bootleg_Library_at_Varia_text

bootleg library at the Library, Karel Doormanhof 45

This bootleg library session was held in a new space at Karel Doormanhof 45, called "The Library". The building is home to studios for Piet Zwart Institute MA Fine Arts participants. The first hour of the session was initially only attended by one other participant, and then others arrived. All told, there session was attended by 5 participants, including myself. The attendees interests were well reflected in the type fo texts we discussed and shared - literary theory, writing, 60s counterculture, the occult and magick. This was the first time I used cards from my thesis in this session - these were distributed over the table, and put on offer for participants to choose and begin conversations about the various tasks I had been writing about; e.g. reading/writing, skimming/scanning, bootlegging, reprinting, uploading/downloading etc. This provided an easy entry point for participants to approach the topic of bootlegging and the contingencies this type of library offered.