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September 21st, 2020 
Awake Goy I learned early on not to store digital material in ways they can be controlled or altered easily. It’s surprising how many people believe that an electronic book needs to be an Amazon or similar product, while they leave huge audio collections to the mercy of Apple the Merciless. I have thousands of digital books, audio files, videos etc but apply strict standards to format and storage, none of which have anything to do with any corporation.
Unencumbered epubs are my favourite reader format, but PDF, mobi, djvu are okay if I can’t get a text as an epub. I read on a computer sometimes, more often on a Kobo. Some of these books are stored in the cloud as well as on a couple of hard drives, but the moment a provider decides to alter or fiddle in any way I save the books but sack the provider. So far, Dropbox hasn’t pulled any funny stuff, but I make sure they’re just a convenience, not primary storage.
I follow the same strict policy with regard to movies, docos, lectures, podcasts, music etc. My most used device is a simple mp3 player, preferably without bluetooth and definitely without any web connectivity. I do not listen to lectures and podcasts on a phone where I can be interrupted or sent nanny messages about volume control. Saving interesting material as MP4 and converting to MP3 (if desired) is a daily thing with me.
My computer is Linux, nothing else, and if a tech doofus like me can use Linux anyone can. Next phone will be something like a Librem 5 or maybe a Pyra…but I’m happy to do without a phone apart from the dumb Samsung Rugby I keep for emergencies.
No need to throw out the digital baby with the corporate bathwater. Go paper if you like, but look hard at the good digital alternatives. It goes without saying that normies have to be warned off sternly when they go anywhere near your files (especially with an Apple device), but my idea is to have more than one storage medium for everything. How I share my files is under my control.
Staying electronic I might still lose the lot, that’s true. But after dodging (just) last summer’s fire I’m starting to realise that nothing is for keeps. And it’s a lot easier to evacuate a couple of ADATA removable drives than a truckload of books and records.
Just some random thought on saving the library. No need to do it my way, just be doing something. Maybe if we all do different things that will be best.
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