Over at Exbiblio they’re working on making paper interactive. The product in development is called the “Qi” (key) - not a great name, but a fantastic idea. The Qi is a sleek handheld scanner used to capture what you read and add it to your “life library”, which stores what you’ve scanned and gives you options of actions to take - look up a word, find a map, buy tickets, connect to readers’ forums, or anything else you can do online - all based on the content you scanned from paper. I am eager to get my hands on one.

In the meantime, here’s my own version of a life library, much more narrowly defined. It includes all the books I’ve read since September 2007, all the books I’ve mentioned on open book, and not much else. Compared with Exbiblio’s version, it’s not much of a life library, but for the full implementation I’m waiting for the Qi.

The Contrary Farmer, Gene Logsdon

Each Peach Pear Plum, Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg

Hold On to Your Kids, Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté

The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life, Steve Leveen

The Unsettling of America, Wendell Berry

Who, Me Lead a Group?, Jean Illsley Clark

You Can Farm, Joel Salatin