Recently i stumbled upon the website ‘Scribd’ which has amassed millions of books and documents which can be downloaded, sent to your mobile or sent to a s friend. Firstly, i was interested in what i had found (for another essay’s research purposes) but then i realised the impact this would have on the transition from old to new media.

The website is basically a preservation tool, unlike any other website i’ve come across. To me, the value of transferring all of these precious pieces of literature is immense. It is a truism that books will not last forever, we have already lost so many valuable transcripts, stories, poems, documents to conditions out of our control. The amount of history we’ve lost is unfathomable but with the rise of the internet and digital age i think the chances of history being preserved are much greater.

Each book or document is supplemented with a record of how many people have also read the document as well as quotes from viewers. With sources that vary from ’15 facts Jonny Depp didn’t teach you about pirates’ to President Obama’s speech as well as cook books and old classics, it’s understandable why the site has been dubbed ‘YouTube for documents’.

Interestingly, it has made several connections with online social media, encouraging viewers to follow the site on Twitter and ‘like’ it on Facebook. The site typifies the transfer from old media to new media and preserves well loved classics.

Click here to check it out.