公共图书馆能把阅读变成风气
富兰克林在宾夕法尼亚立足时,波士顿以南的殖民地还没有像样的书店。爱读书的人要从英国订购,身边能接触到的书很少。他和 Junto 的成员把各自的书集中起来,后来建立订阅图书馆。
At the time I establish'd myself in Pennsylvania, there was not a good bookseller's shop in any of the colonies to the southward of Boston. In New York and Philad'a the printers were indeed stationers; they sold only paper, etc., almanacs, ballads, and a few common school-books. Those who lov'd reading were obliged to send for their books from England; the members of the Junto had each a few
The institution soon manifested its utility, was imitated by other towns, and in other provinces. The libraries were augmented by donations; reading became fashionable; and our people, having no publick amusements to divert their attention from study, became better acquainted with books, and in a few years were observ'd by strangers to be better instructed and more intelligent than people of the same rank generally are in other countries.
这段把阅读从个人美德移到了公共条件上。书能否借到,借阅成本有多高,身边的人是否也读,都会改变一个人的阅读频率。图书馆增加了供给,模仿和捐赠又扩大了图书馆,阅读因此从少数人的爱好变成可以传播的风气。这也是 环境设计:显眼线索与固定情境塑造行为 的公共版本,改变的对象从一个人的房间扩大到了整座城里的书籍供给。
反图书馆用未读之书标记知识的边界 讲私人藏书怎样提醒一个人尚未知道什么;这里讲的是公共藏书怎样让更多人先获得阅读的入口。两者都重视未读之书,承担的功能不同。私人反图书馆标记边界,公共图书馆降低门槛。一把通向无数本书的钥匙 记录实体书店怎样让人无目的地遇见书,图书馆也提供了相近的偶遇,只是它还把获取成本降得更低。
富兰克林还把当地没有公共娱乐视为有利条件。这个判断带有时代和地方限制。娱乐变少不会自动让人阅读,图书馆的效用仍要依赖识字、闲暇和已有兴趣。
文字的门槛是余粮,不是聪明 讲的是识字最初为什么稀缺,而富兰克林做的正是在成本那一侧动手:把书从每个人各买一本,改成大家凑一份。
反图书馆用未读之书标记知识的边界 是同一堆书的另一种用法。智慧只能被唤起,不能被讲授 提示了图书馆的上限:它能把书送到人面前,送不了那一步。 ——收入 读书笔记 · 一得
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- Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
他的成功也不只被写成个人奋斗。信用既靠勤劳,也靠让勤劳被看见 讲商人的公开形象,公共图书馆能把阅读变成风气 讲一项制度怎样改变一座城的阅读。幸福更常来自每天的小便利 则把幸福落在剃须这样细小、重复的日常摩擦上。