Sharing scarce books

As some of you are now discovering, a few of the sources for the suggested paper topics have become scarce. Two things you could do. The first, which I would try to do today, is to request one from interlibrary loan. These can be fast, you should have time before the paper is due. The second and more preferable option is to offer to copy the book if whoever has it is willing to lend it to you for 24 hours. You could use my mailbox for the handoff and rely on me for the enforcement of contracts. The library and other photocopying machines on campus permit you to make electronic copies for free, paper ones will cost you. The best way to handle it is to make files of no more than thirty pages and send them to me. I'll combine them, clean them up, apply character recognition software, and post them on learn@uw.

Some people will understandably be reluctant to part with a book they had the foresight to check out on the basis of a vague promise that it will be returned promptly. Hence the need for enforceable contracts: if you lend a book to someone and it is not back in my mailbox at the proper time let me know and appropriate sanctions will be applied, increasing in severity as the time increases.

Collaboration

As I mentioned in seminar, it might be useful to you to have a space where you can discover who is working on similar topics, go on from there to sharing articles and references to reading one another's drafts. One change from what I initially suggested, I won't divide this up by topic. Some of you who are working on problems by yourselves would be excluded, so please just list your name, your topic, and email so you can find others with whom you can collaborate.

Office hours next week

Please check your email for expanded office hours next week. Pay particular attention to the word "appointment". One of the advantages of using email is to prevent you from having to wait in line and to give me the chance to prepare for our conversation.