I'm reading this on libby, does anybody else's ebook look like this?? It's kinda difficult to read this part cause every other message looks like this 😭

I know there's been other posts here with conversations on the ethics and varying popularity of condoning and/or practicing 'pirating', but I wanted to open another avenue to consider the role (and potential difference?) of archiving.

For context, posts where I provided PDFs for some books got removed here recently; I'm coming from a place of respect and understanding for that decision as the creators of Pagebound could get into legal trouble for encouraging 'illegal activities' such as 'pirating'. I'm not necessarily trying to change that practice on this platform, but widen the conversation on 'book ownership' beyond this platform and destigmatize free access to knowledge.

Additionally, there's much nuance on this topic, but overall, I believe in and practice reading freely. I believe authors should be compensated for their work and that the financial position people may be in to support that or not comes down to systems of oppression that maximize exploitation, prioritize profits, manufacture scarcity, and hoard resources, not the personal responsibility of readers. Many people, including myself, cannot afford to buy books frequently whether they be new or used. Thankfully, I have easy access to a library and thus, Libby, which is my main way of reading books. However, not everyone has access to a library or can get a library card, so they have more limited access to books.

This is where resources like free little libraries and websites such as Internet Archive and Are.na come in. What is the line between 'stealing' books and archiving them? Is archiving for public access what determines something as being viewed as 'pirating' or theft? Does a paywall or other kind of barrier, like a archive with restricted access, imply a more worthy and moral form of theft or not theft at all? Does the archiving have to be done by an institutional 'owner' for it to have ethical legitimacy? Why?

To answer any of this clear-sightedly, the roles of capitalism, white supremacy, colonialism, imperialism, and patriarchy must be considered as the context which inequitably determines people's ability to access knowledge and the moral narratives around people who find ways around standardized, restrictive, and inaccessible carriers of information. I'd love to have a conversation with that in mind!