ReadingRoom? Is it right?
In 1982, the Mises Institute started the Austrian Study Guide as a short bibliography on Austrian economics, and it grew and grew. It made it into the WWW age, and kept the same name. Then texts became available and entries were linked. In recent years, it has gone crazy: expanding in every direction to the point that there are thousands of entries, most of them linked, and new books nearly ever day.
Finally, it seems like time to revisit the term "Study Guide" under the tab "Resources." After much thought, we finally came up with the term ReadingRoom, as the name of the section on Mises.org and the name on the header. I've only heard one complaint about it: it seems to stretch the metaphor with the physical world too far. Maybe that's so, but no one seems to have come up with a better term.
Nominations? Or is ReadingRoom right? Look around and tell us.
Comments (22)
sd
Reading Room is fine, but how 'bout a much smaller subset of it as the Austrian Study Guide for new users to quickly get up to speed on the core.
Published: September 30, 2007 11:33 PM
M E Hoffer
x2
Published: October 1, 2007 12:03 AM
DC
sd, isn't there a "core" listing already?
I like ReadingRoom. . .to be honest "Study Guide" confused me for a long time.
Published: October 1, 2007 6:16 AM
Ron
Other than the fact that I normally refer to my bathroom as "the reading room", which may illicit a giggle each time I visit Mises.org, I got no problem with the name. In fact, it'll introduce some levity when I print items from the Mises.org Reading Room to take to my reading room.
Published: October 1, 2007 8:16 AM
jeffrey
Someone else suggested "literature" rather than ReadingRoom (which he said reminds him of Christian Science). But the trouble with literature is that it sounds like Dickens, Melville, etc.
Published: October 1, 2007 9:24 AM
jeffrey
What about something super simple: Etexts.
Published: October 1, 2007 9:29 AM
Jaq Phule
Reading Room is a little ... dull.
How about "Reading Room Austravaganza!"
Boy, I'm in a wacky mood today!
Published: October 1, 2007 9:57 AM
Erasmouse
What about Corpus Austrianicus or
The Library
Published: October 1, 2007 10:23 AM
jeffrey
Library is pretty boring, and it gets confused with our own in-house library, which has its own links.
Corpus is nice! Maybe a bit strange though.
Published: October 1, 2007 10:36 AM
chris
Study Hall?
Published: October 1, 2007 11:09 AM
jeffrey
Doesn't Study Hall sound like punishment?
Published: October 1, 2007 11:39 AM
Matt Robare
Panbiblion? The Gold Mine?
I know: Power corrupts, knowledge is power, libraries are deposits of knowledge, so: The Den of Corruption.
Published: October 1, 2007 12:32 PM
IMHO
The Cybrary
Published: October 1, 2007 3:52 PM
Heidi
Reading Room's ok but since almost anything one thinks of will have a funny meaning for someone, also maybe make a list of catchier ones to think about: Mises quick start, Mises for the lazy, Mises for the lazy libertarian, Mises teases, Mises pieces, Breezin' with Mises, Bits of Mises, Pithy Mises, Best of Mises and so on.
Also, is there a FAQ somewhere? Mind, we're all lazy, which is to say, we all tend to want the biggest thrill from the least possible time and effort spent, if we can get it, or be lured into thinking we can.
Published: October 1, 2007 5:12 PM
Robert Brager
Well, while we're busy personalizing Mises.org...
... why not enable the user to personalize the Study Guide right up to what they'd name it?
If that's possible (ahem!).
As it is, I'm fine with Reading Room or Study Guide or Corpus Austrianicus.
Published: October 1, 2007 5:23 PM
Axel Riemer
reminds me of where I used to go to read back in my youth.. the ol' booknook, where I no longer can fit to sit
Published: October 1, 2007 7:15 PM
Vedran Vuk
hmmm......"Study guide" won't do for the public. No one likes studying. It has bad connotations. Why don't we instead change it to "book exploration." Just show pictures of Jeff Tucker reading Human Action and take a survey. Does it look like exploration or study?
Just kidding. The only thing I think should be avoided is "Literature". It reminds me of the pamphlets Mormons give when they come door to door. They always call it literature.....
Published: October 1, 2007 10:09 PM
IMHO
Austrian Archives
Published: October 1, 2007 10:22 PM
M E Hoffer
from the right-hand column:
Ludwig von Mises: "In the universe there is never and nowhere stability and immobility. Change and transformation are essential features of life. Each state of affairs is transient; each age is an age of transition. In human life there is never calm and repose. Life is a process, not a perseverance in a status quo." - The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality
though it was apt.
To Brager's query, couldn't the pages be personalizable(?)
"Goal: Allow customizable user themes.
Solution:
Mises.com runs Community Server, which has themes built in.
For Mises.org migrate all formatting to use the ASP.Net 2.0 Themes feature
(To do:) allow users to choose their own theme."
from:
http://mises.com/blogs/misestech/default.aspx
for default pages, one could have them run through a list of different Titles, like Heidi suggested.
Published: October 2, 2007 1:07 AM
jeffrey
Archive sounds dusty. Books: inaccurate (it has articles too). Library: dull. Resources: vague. ReadingRoom: christian science. Corpus: peculiar. Study Guide: dreary.
More and more, I'm thinking that "literature" is the right term. The only downside, apart from the one mentioned by VV, is that it sounds like Dickens and Melville. But overall, it seems best.
Any final thoughts?
Published: October 2, 2007 7:56 AM
Heidi
It seems to me, in dealing with a wonderfully put together site seen by lots of libertarians, tags which seem way dreary to some will be taken as fit by others and so on (which is cool). If it were up to me I'd go with "Quick start on Austrian economics" and be done with it. Cheers to all!
Published: October 2, 2007 8:38 AM
Heidi
Erm, two more things though (sorry). Given the size of the menu bar I'd make it short 'n sweet, "Quick start." However, I also think "Reading room" is ok.
Published: October 2, 2007 9:15 AM