BookCrossing: Never Say Digitalize!

[caption id="attachment_108501" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="BCID ©Mamak Ketol™"][/caption] SITTI ad that pops up in my previous post says "Hari gini masih pegang buku? udah gak jaman!!! Digitalize it". Well, if you want to promote a place where you can scan a whole book starting from 10.000 IRD, you probably want to shout from the top of the mountain that holding a (printed) book is a thing in the past. [caption id="attachment_108461" align="aligncenter" width="542" caption="SITTIad"][/caption] Those who think that iPad is a lifestyle rather than necessity will probably give you a nod. Thinking that it’s a good idea if you digitalized your childhood book collections such as Malin Kundang or The Arabian Nights, your favourite comics by Ko Ping Hoo or whatever. If you are a highly mobile person, get bored easily, want to be the first in queue to have the hard cover best seller books that had been the talks of the town, but dislike the idea to slip those heavy books in your carry on luggage, then you need to face the music. Well, I am not going to discuss different ways of reading books, but rather how you can use the world as public library! [caption id="attachment_108462" align="aligncenter" width="542" caption="Officially added in 2004"][/caption] The word “bookcrossing” (written as BookCrossing or simply BC, BCing or BXing) is officially added into Oxford Dictionary in 2004. It was first introduced by Ron Hornbaker who set up a website called BookCrossing.com on 17 April 2001. This website develops quickly and soon served as blog which has forum discussions. It also has mailing lists. People from all over the world join the online discussions; attend monthly meetings or annual conventions. Some members join the mailing lists within their own country or city. As people travel, they sometimes like to meet-up with local people and fellow bookcrossers. It’s free! If you want to participate actively, and give away your (old or new) books, all you need to do is register at BookCrossing.com. Before releasing your book, you first need to label and file your book to get the code number or BCID (BookCrossing Identity). After that, glue this label anywhere on the book. Normally people stick it on the empty space of the first page or on the inside cover. Secondly, you can announce in your BookCrossing blog or write a journal where and when you want to release you book, for example at Ngurah Rai Airport Bali. Finally, you can follow and trace where your book goes. This can only happen if someone who finds your book writes a journal or makes a report to BookCrossing. [caption id="attachment_108466" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="BookCrosser meetup in one of the OBCZs in UK ©Mamak Ketol™"][/caption] If you find a book with BookCrossing label, you can keep it and read it. If you are not interested in reporting anything to BookCrossing, you may just leave the book in the wild after you finish reading it. Probably other people will catch the book and interested in joining the club. You do not need to be a member to read a book. However, by registering you know places where people release books. BookCrossers are scattered around countless cities within 130 countries. Currently, there are more than 850.000 members. In most cities, there are several "Official BookCrossing Zones" (OBCZ). You can release your book officially at this location or in any public spaces such as train stations, shopping centres, campuses etc. You may want to check the website to see whether there is an OBCZ in the place where you currently live or where you want to go travelling. If you run a business such as an inn, a villa, or a café and are happy to provide a small bookshelf to hold some books, you can arrange to set your place as an OBCZ. As an official place, you probably want to arrange a monthly meeting or a regular get together with BookCrossing members in the area. At the same time, this action will promote your place especially if members decided to release their books in your OBCZ. Interested? [caption id="attachment_108467" align="aligncenter" width="544" caption="Never say digitalize? ©Mamak Ketol™"][/caption] Reference:  Wikipedia, BookCrossing