From Booklist
Novelist and essayist Baker burst onto the library scene with his famous (infamous?) 1994 New Yorker essay attacking libraries for discarding old card catalogs. In 2000, Baker attacked libraries for discarding old newspapers, also in The New Yorker, and then a year later in his book Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper (Random, 2001). Archivist and University of Pittsburgh professor Cox began responding to Baker early on, first with some sympathy regarding the historical value of our old catalogs but then with growing dismay at Baker's "save everything" mentality. The Society of American Archivists requested an answer to Baker's book, and that grew into this book. Unlike Baker's work, which was aimed at the general public, Cox's response is aimed at professional librarians and archivists. This is a valuable book for anyone who is queried about Baker's attacks. Baker has sounded an alarm, inspiring significant public concern. Here are the foundations for a calm, reasoned, professional response. James D. Anderson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Libraries and archives have violated their public trust, argues Nicholson Baker in his controversial book Double Fold, by destroying their paper-based collections. The present work critiques Mr. Baker's argument, responding point by point. Whether one agrees with Nicholson Baker or not, the other side of the story is offered in this book.

About the Author
RICHARD COX is Professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Libraries and archives have violated their public trust, argues Nicholson Baker in his controversial book Double Fold, by destroying their paper-based collections. The present work critiques Mr. Baker's argument, responding point by point. Whether one agrees with Nicholson Baker or not, the other side of the story is offered in this book.

SYNOPSIS