6 ms·

I have been reading more about exactly what is happening. There is an indication that the scanning and destruction of books can destroy the last copy of books

I have been reading more about exactly what is happening. There is an indication that the scanning and destruction of books can destroy the last copy of books that are rare. This way the information only exists in digital form inside the large language model. This claim is increasingly appearing in news articles. It is an interesting observation that needs additional confirmation. This can alter the permanent record in unexpected ways. https://dallasexpress.com/national/the-vanishing-page-ai-firms-scan-then-destroy-rare-book-editions/ https://dallasexpress.com/national/the-vanishing-page-ai-fir...

shagie 22d ago
> There is an indication that the scanning and destruction of books can destroy the last copy of books that are rare. Every book that has been published in the United States has a copy in the Library of Congress. Neutron Radiography: Proceedings of the First World Conference San Diego, California, U.S.A. December 7–10, 1981 is a rare book - there's only one copy available from used book sellers on Amazon. There is a copy of it in the Library of Congress. https://search.catalog.loc.gov/instances/b220c9bd-63ad-5a8b-b85c-045e39808efa?option=lccn&query=82020471 https://search.catalog.loc.gov/instances/b220c9bd-63ad-5a8b-... . You can go to the Science and Business reading room and request it so you can read it. https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/science-and-business/about-this-research-center/ https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/science-and-business/ab... For any book that has been published, you can do this. It might not be in the United States if it wasn't published here... it would be in other national libraries (Tom Scott This library has every book ever published. https://youtu.be/ZNVuIU6UUiM https://youtu.be/ZNVuIU6UUiM ) Chasing links from the article you linked gives examples. https://nltimes.nl/2026/06/25/rare-book-dealers-fear-tech-firms-destroying-obscure-editions-train-ai-models https://nltimes.nl/2026/06/25/rare-book-dealers-fear-tech-fi... “We have compiled a very extensive list of editions that we are currently trying to acquire, and we plan to place a fairly large order. The list is attached,” the email said. The attachment contained 3,000 English-language titles organized by ISBN number, including books such as Distinct Element Modelling in Geomechanics by K.R. Saxena (1999); Barrett's Traditional Fairy Tales (2021), an academic study of Irish folklore; and Laser Shock Peening of Advanced Ceramics by Pratik Shukla (2018). Some of these are from other countries. For example, Barrett's Traditional Fairy Tales is from Ireland. https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000896773/StaffViewMARC https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000896773/StaffViewMARC The last copy of a book is not destroyed.
- NishanStepak 21d ago
  The library of congress is selective and does not have copies of every book ever written. They are quite clear about this in their selection process. This is a myth which sounds right, but is not accurate. They could not afford this, nor does it make practical sense. https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9709/acquire.html https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9709/acquire.html
NishanStepak 21d ago
This is a more recent article on the process from 404 Media. It is inside teh Amazon facility. https://www.404media.co/inside-the-warehouse-where-amazon-scans-and-destroys-books-for-ai-training/ https://www.404media.co/inside-the-warehouse-where-amazon-sc...

shagie 22d ago

> There is an indication that the scanning and destruction of books can destroy the last copy of books that are rare. Every book that has been published in the United States has a copy in the Library of Congress. Neutron Radiography: Proceedings of the First World Conference San Diego, California, U.S.A. December 7–10, 1981 is a rare book - there's only one copy available from used book sellers on Amazon. There is a copy of it in the Library of Congress. https://search.catalog.loc.gov/instances/b220c9bd-63ad-5a8b-b85c-045e39808efa?option=lccn&query=82020471 https://search.catalog.loc.gov/instances/b220c9bd-63ad-5a8b-... . You can go to the Science and Business reading room and request it so you can read it. https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/science-and-business/about-this-research-center/ https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/science-and-business/ab... For any book that has been published, you can do this. It might not be in the United States if it wasn't published here... it would be in other national libraries (Tom Scott This library has every book ever published. https://youtu.be/ZNVuIU6UUiM https://youtu.be/ZNVuIU6UUiM ) Chasing links from the article you linked gives examples. https://nltimes.nl/2026/06/25/rare-book-dealers-fear-tech-firms-destroying-obscure-editions-train-ai-models https://nltimes.nl/2026/06/25/rare-book-dealers-fear-tech-fi... “We have compiled a very extensive list of editions that we are currently trying to acquire, and we plan to place a fairly large order. The list is attached,” the email said. The attachment contained 3,000 English-language titles organized by ISBN number, including books such as Distinct Element Modelling in Geomechanics by K.R. Saxena (1999); Barrett's Traditional Fairy Tales (2021), an academic study of Irish folklore; and Laser Shock Peening of Advanced Ceramics by Pratik Shukla (2018). Some of these are from other countries. For example, Barrett's Traditional Fairy Tales is from Ireland. https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000896773/StaffViewMARC https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000896773/StaffViewMARC The last copy of a book is not destroyed.

NishanStepak 21d ago
The library of congress is selective and does not have copies of every book ever written. They are quite clear about this in their selection process. This is a myth which sounds right, but is not accurate. They could not afford this, nor does it make practical sense. https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9709/acquire.html https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9709/acquire.html

NishanStepak 21d ago

This is a more recent article on the process from 404 Media. It is inside teh Amazon facility. https://www.404media.co/inside-the-warehouse-where-amazon-scans-and-destroys-books-for-ai-training/ https://www.404media.co/inside-the-warehouse-where-amazon-sc...