The University Library in Cambridge has, for decades, had a blank space in front of the steps leading to the main entrance. In recent years, this has become a jumble of untidy (and unsightly) car parking. So the Library commissioned a set of fourteen sculptures to reclaim the space. Until Friday last, they were a mystery to us library users because they were firmly encased in impenetrable wrapping. But at 6pm on Friday all was revealed. And very nice they are too: cast in bronze and with a lovely patina. The central four have an added feature — designed not only to interest small children but also to test the tidiness obsession of adults.
Daily Archives: September 6, 2009
Google’s bid for our literary heritage
This morning’s Observer column.
If you have any free brain cells next Tuesday, spare a thought for Denny Chin. He is a judge on the US district court for the southern district of New York. And he has the job of deciding a case which has profound implications for our culture.
At its centre is a decision about how we will access printed books in the future. And, as you might guess, Google is at the heart of it…
The published version of the column omitted the reference to Professor James Grimmelmann’s terrific commentary on the case. If you’re interested, you can get the pdf from here.