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Do you have the diverse skill set you might need to survive in a post-collapse environment? Sure, most preppers have some of the skills, some of us have enough skills to get by, but I'm willing to bet that none of us have all of the skills we might need to really live well in such a situation. A well thought out survival library can give you the edge you need to make it.
Although I do have quite a few actual books, most of my stuff is stored electronically on a tiny 1 TB "My Passport" drive. I currently have over 200,000 titles, and add more as I find them. I roughly divide my ebooks into 2 categories: technical books and "everything else."
The "everything else" category contains tens of thousands of works of fiction from classic novels to science fiction, books on art and philosophy, religion, and a wide range of other "non-essential" topics. Most of these are intended to provide entertainment and relaxation.
The bulk of my library, however, is devoted to technical books. Most of these are college level texts on engineering, chemistry, physics, math, zoology, biology, construction, medical texts, and many, many more subjects.
I consider the medical library to be one of the most important sections. I have text books on everything from neonatal care to surgical practices, from basic and trauma first aid to toxicology, from veterinary medicine to geriatrics, and just about everything in between. Would I really perform surgery with info gained from a book? Only as a last resort, but yeah, if I had to.
Other major collections include a vast array of military FMs and TMs, books on herbal remedies, books on preserving and storing food, field identification guides for plants, and books on gunsmithing, reloading, and other associated topics.
I have an old laptop, extra battery, and small solar charger stashed with the Passport drive. These items (along with a few other electronic devices like my radios) are in my "hillbilly special" Faraday cage in my garage. This is just a new metal garbage can with a tight fitting lid. A block of recycled Styrofoam in the bottom keeps the contents isolated from the metal. I sanded off enough of the galvanization to let me solder a piece of heavy copper wire to the can, and the wire leads to a dedicated copper ground rod. I'm fairly confident anything inside will survive any sort of EMP event.
A library like this takes a little time to assemble, but it doesn't cost a lot. It's lightweight and can provide the extra edge you might need one day. Will you know how to make antibiotics? Build a dam? Know what mushrooms are safe to eat? Be able to make gunpowder? Construct a radio? Have the knowledge on hundreds of diverse topics that might make the difference between surviving... or not? I will.
Although I do have quite a few actual books, most of my stuff is stored electronically on a tiny 1 TB "My Passport" drive. I currently have over 200,000 titles, and add more as I find them. I roughly divide my ebooks into 2 categories: technical books and "everything else."
The "everything else" category contains tens of thousands of works of fiction from classic novels to science fiction, books on art and philosophy, religion, and a wide range of other "non-essential" topics. Most of these are intended to provide entertainment and relaxation.
The bulk of my library, however, is devoted to technical books. Most of these are college level texts on engineering, chemistry, physics, math, zoology, biology, construction, medical texts, and many, many more subjects.
I consider the medical library to be one of the most important sections. I have text books on everything from neonatal care to surgical practices, from basic and trauma first aid to toxicology, from veterinary medicine to geriatrics, and just about everything in between. Would I really perform surgery with info gained from a book? Only as a last resort, but yeah, if I had to.
Other major collections include a vast array of military FMs and TMs, books on herbal remedies, books on preserving and storing food, field identification guides for plants, and books on gunsmithing, reloading, and other associated topics.
I have an old laptop, extra battery, and small solar charger stashed with the Passport drive. These items (along with a few other electronic devices like my radios) are in my "hillbilly special" Faraday cage in my garage. This is just a new metal garbage can with a tight fitting lid. A block of recycled Styrofoam in the bottom keeps the contents isolated from the metal. I sanded off enough of the galvanization to let me solder a piece of heavy copper wire to the can, and the wire leads to a dedicated copper ground rod. I'm fairly confident anything inside will survive any sort of EMP event.
A library like this takes a little time to assemble, but it doesn't cost a lot. It's lightweight and can provide the extra edge you might need one day. Will you know how to make antibiotics? Build a dam? Know what mushrooms are safe to eat? Be able to make gunpowder? Construct a radio? Have the knowledge on hundreds of diverse topics that might make the difference between surviving... or not? I will.
