Passing the Book

 

 

Luisa Santos, The Link (Concordia University)

MONTREAL (CUP)—Resting on a
wooden bench on the corner of de
Maisonneuve and Guy is a weather-beaten
copy of J.D. Salinger’s Nine Stories. With
seemingly reckless abandon, it sits there
defenseless and vulnerable to the cold
snow and unforgiving wind. Its battered
looks impress a careless disregard.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

and internet development company, and
was inspired by the popularity of
PhotoTag.com and WheresGeorge.com
(sites that track the whereabouts of dis-
posable cameras and US currency,
respectively).

According to the website,
BookCrossing.com is the Hornbakers’
way of celebrating the joys of reading
and is completely
Funding is generated through

donations and purchases made at

its online supply store. With an
alliterated mandate that encour-
ages participants to “read, register,
and release,” this online communi-
ty now boasts BookCrossers from
such distant places as Egypt, Peru,
and Taiwan.

non-profit.

There are various ways to pattici-
pate. The most popular relies on the
synergetic happenstance of

having a random book-lover
stumble upon a book that has
been released “into the wild”

 

write book reviews online, sign up for
email discussion lists, and participate in
the site’s forum.

The forum is divided into numerous
themes, each one catering to different
aspects of reading. Some forums include:
Newbies, a section used to acquaint new
users with the “ins-and-outs” of
BookCrossing; Activists Only, for those
dedicated to spreading and expanding the
movement; and Release Techniques,
which asks more experienced
BookCrossers to share their expertise
with novice book releasers. The site now
hosts forums in German, Dutch, Spanish,
French, and Portuguese.

All this heightens the interactivity of
the site. But for those interested in more
corporeal contact, BookCrossing also
offers meet-ups, meetings that take place
on the second Tuesday of every month at

7pm local time. These International
BookCrossing Meet-Up Days are organ-
ized in conjunction with MeetUp.com.
According to the site, it connects
BookCrossers with other members living
in the same city for an “informal, social
interaction.”

“T’'ve met quite a few people this
way—other avid readers,’ Russell says.
“Recently, we even took part in a Secret
Santa book exchange with other
BookCrossing groups around the conti-
nent. I ended up sending out a gift to
somewhere in Buffalo and was sent one
from Newfoundland.

Gitets... the - best . part. - of
BookCrossing,” she adds. “It helps marry
the immediacy of the internet with the
intimacy of reading.”

  
  

by a BookCrosser. A more
conservative approach is a “con-
trolled release,’ which entails passing
a registered book directly to a friend
or colleague. Either way, with a
BCID, the book’s journey can be mon-
itored from person to person.

However, this lonely paperback is simply Sarah Russell, an active BookCrosser,

You are not alone

The Students’ Union’s Pride Collective
provides resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgendered students at the college. The Collective
meets Thursdays at 3:00 in room 328 in the students’
union building at the New Westminster Campus.
All lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered,
questioning and allied students are welcome.

waiting—waiting and preying on the
curiosity of an unsuspecting passerby
who will be lured by the kaleidoscopic
realm of the printed word and pick up the
book.

Inside, stickered onto the inside flap of
its front cover, is a label that reads, “I’m a
very special book. You see, I’m travelling
the world making new friends. I hope P’ve
made another one in you. If so, please go
to www.bookcrossing.com...”

The simple promise of a free book has
segued into an invitation into the literary
world of BookCrossing.com, a growing
online society of over 300,000 book
lovers (with a daily increase of over 300
people).

BookCrossing is the act of leaving a
registered book in a public place in the
hope that it will be picked up and read by
another who will, in turn, do the same.
(Book registration consists of entering
the book’s ISBN on the website and
acquiring a BookCrossing ID number.)
Ron and Kaori Hornbaker, who devel-
oped BookCrossing.com as a means of
turning the world into a giant library, first
conceptualized the idea in March 2001.
The website is maintained by Humankind
Systems Inc., an American-based software

says that had she not happened upon cer-
tain books, she would never have chosen
them on her own, and that the best part of
BookCrossing is being able to track the
current location of books that she had
previously released.

“It’s a fascinating and fun experience
to trace books. One book that I had
released at work found its way to a castle
in the south of France,” she says.

Russell works at a café in Vancouver
and, on top of releasing and catching
books, she manages the shop’s Official
BookCrossing.com Zone (OBCZ). A
zone is established with the permission of
a location’s manager and consists of a
shelf, box, etc. that becomes a permanent
site for book exchanges. Location is deter-
mined by the space’s public accessibility
and is usually postered with a zone sign.
In Russell’s case, the sign reads “Free
Books.”

“T liked the idea of randomly leaving
books
BookCrossing on a personal level. After a

around and_= started using
while I wanted to bring that online com-
munity to my (physical) community, so I
started an OBCZ,” says Russell.

Aside from these zones and book
releases, BookCrossing members can also

Douglas Students’ Union

Canadian Federation of Students Local 18

 

January = 18/8005