Writers Reading, Readers Writing
How does reading gets turned into writing, itself designed (at least in theory) to be read later on? Different media imply different future uses: binding makes lab notebooks tamper-proof, while index cards allow and even invite reshuffling. Time horizons vary: student notes are often designed to be discarded after the exam (the same three-month cycle on which their printed textbooks are resold), while scholars have a lifetime to recoup their investments. According to Herbert Maxwell in 1893, "Unless the recollection of what is read is ensured by notes, reading ….
