People sometimes announce that we have entered 'the information age' as if information did not exist in other times. I think that every age was an age of information, each in its own way and according to the available media. Robert Darnton ageannounceenter share on social
As president of the American Historical Association, I started a programme to make dissertations into e-books in 1999. Before I knew it, I was involved in other electronic projects. Harvard invited me to become director of the libraries in 2007. Robert Darnton americanassociationbook share on social
The fact that I spend a lot of time in the 18th century doesn't mean I'm not concerned with the 21st. Robert Darnton 18th21stcentury Change image and share on social
While confronting the problems of the present, I often find myself thinking back to the world of books as it was experienced by the Founding Fathers and the philosophers of the Enlightenment. Robert Darnton backbookconfront Change image and share on social
As a graduate student at Oxford in 1963, I began writing about books in revolutionary France, helping to found the discipline of book history. I was in my academic corner writing about Enlightenment ideals when the Internet exploded the world of academic communication in the 1990s. Robert Darnton 1990sacademicbegin share on social
The idea of a national digital library has been in the air for a long time, and there was a danger that some people would feel that it's their property, so to speak. Robert Darnton airdangerdigital Change image and share on social
We need librarians who can handle this tremendous jumble of information that is in cyberspace. Robert Darnton cyberspacehandleinformation Change image and share on social
The notion of 'history from below' hit the history profession in England very hard around the time I came to Oxford in the early 1960s. Robert Darnton 1960searlyengland Change image and share on social
We are living in one of those rare moments in history when things may come apart and be put back together again in ways that will determine the future for decades or more, despite the endless innovations of technology. Robert Darnton backdecadedetermine share on social
When you tell people you're in history, they give you this pained expression because that was the course they hated in high school. But history can be exciting, intellectually rigorous, and fun. Robert Darnton excitexpressionfun Change image and share on social
