Books Quote by Jeanette Winterson
““What worries me is that a load of shite has been talked about digitisation as being the new Gutenberg, but the fact is that Gutenberg led to books being put in shelves, and digitisation is taking books off shelves. If you start taking books off shelves then you are only going to find what you are looking for, which does not help those who do not know what they are looking for.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Guardian, 2015
Digitisation changes access from passive storage to active searching, benefiting those who know what they seek but neglecting serendipitous discovery.
In simple terms: Digital search helps known queries, not accidental finds.
Key Takeaway
Balance search with exploration.
Themes
technology
information
access
serendipity
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
thought‑provoking
When to use this quote
- research
- reading
- learning
- curation
Key Concepts
digital libraries
search algorithms
knowledge discovery
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we design systems that surface unknown interests?
- What role should random discovery play in digital libraries?
A Different Perspective
It can reinforce existing biases and limit unexpected learning.
![“It's not progress to take books off shelves. If one more person says this [ebooks] is the new Gutenberg, I will probably commit homicide, because the whole point of Gutenberg was to put books on shelves, not to take them off.” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0fb/jeanette-winterson-166_book_it-s-not-progress-to-take-books-off-shel_1733851.jpg)
![“These days, digitization enables us to view the copies [of the Gutenberg Bible] online without the need for a trip to the Euston Road, although to do so would be to deny oneself one of the great pleasures in life. The first book ever printed in Europe - heavy, luxurious, pungent and creaky - does…” quote by Simon Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/592/simon-garfield-37311_books_these-days-digitization-enables-us-to-vi_792501.jpg)
