Advanced Topics

Online tools are great. They allow one organization to host an entire site in a data-center and allow thousands if not millions of users to access it, often for free. The problem is that as people become dependent on popular services, the resources become centralized. “Free information in the hands of the masses” isn't exactly what we end up with. The result is a system in which the information is organized and distributed by select few, and the average person is at the mercy of Google or Microsoft. (Remember that search results are a product of those company's software, not unbiased web-crawling.) Going up the ladder of network abstraction, we than realize that access to the websites themselves is controlled by a domain name registry that points these pretty URL's that we've grown accustomed to, to a server. And then there's the ISP that may choose to block access to particular sites or services, and governments who may choose to shutdown particular servers because of supposed hate speech or whatever.

In short, resources have been given up by the average Joe and Big Tech has gobbled them up. This poses numerous problems, not the least of which is a world where information is getting harder and harder for average people to obtain. It also promotes dependence upon multiple layers of sensitive infrastructure which aren't indestructible, and reduces the overall stability and reliability of what we know as the Internet.

The solution is for average people to gather the resources they feel are important and distribute them. Share them with friends and family, relatives, neighbors, etc. Paper documents are preferred, but hard to store, and even harder to transport and reproduce. As long as computers and cell phones remain available (which is likely going to be many years) they are valuable means of spreading and storing information. The purpose of BaptistLibrary.net and this Wiki are to spread information. We hope you will download the files you like and share them. We hope you will share links to this website and encourage others to do the same.

There may be a day where average people can't afford Internet service. Maybe they still have electricity and an old laptop or something: this can be used as a library for a church or small community. Old mobile phones can also be used. If paper books are available, they can be shared in local libraries as well. These don't require electricity or any other infrastructure and can last for hundreds of years if cared for. That's how people gathered information decades ago. Word of mouth and printed resources were once our greatest assets. Maybe they'll never become primary sources again, but it is unwise to forget their importance in the not so distant past.

To work towards solving these problems, we have numerous publishers on our wiki:Resources page from which print books can be purchased. Retailers such as AbeBooks and eBay are valuable resources of print books. Many of the websites listed there also have downloadable files. Again, when possible and practical, download the resources you use (or see as important) for future, off-line use.

But the options for circumventing Big-Tech, surveillance, and censorship, don't stop there.

There are multiple ways to create portable libraries that can easily be distributed. This solution would provide an off-line method to share data. However, the problem is that users must meet other users to exchange data unless dead-drops are used. This provides opportunity for exposure or tracking, as if one party is being monitored, the other will be linked to him and be used to create a web of targets. Also, the storage devices may be unavailable in some areas, or likely to be found and confiscated, or physically traced due to finger prints or DNA contamination. Depending on the threat model, these are valid concerns. Nevertheless, simply downloading files and sharing them is a viable option in many situations.

• USB Drives are very useful tools for spreading information. Thousands of files and numerous programs can be stored on thumb-drives of only a few GB in size and be purchased for dollars. USB is a very common protocol and is not likely to become obsolete for many years. Drives should be formatted as FAT or exFAT for best compatibility, or NTFS. Larger external hard drives or SSD's can hold many TB of data including images, audio files, and documents.
• SD or SDHC cards are even smaller than USB drives and can easily be transported. The format is well-established and common, and found on many devices, including ereaders and mobile phones.
• DVD's and CD's are becoming less common, but are still useful. Their life expectancy is several years if stored properly, and they are not affected by magnetic fields, etc. These are useful for smaller libraries and software. Re-writable disks should not be used unless necessary to prevent data loss or corruption. The read-only nature of DVD's and CD's prevent viruses or spyware from being injected to the files if the disks change hands or are used on compromised devices.
• Library Computers can be configured without too much effort. The easiest method is to install Calibre eBook Manager on a desktop PC or laptop. This will create a user-friendly library computer with remote access capabilities.
• Raspberry Pi's can be used to create portable, low-power, and easily stored servers that allow remote access or local viewing if needed. Raspberry Pi OS (Raspbian) is similar to Debian Linux, and Calibre is available for this OS as well. If Calibre become unavailable, NGINX or Apache (or FTP or SFTP or TELNET) can be used to host files from the device.
• Tablets and eReaders are two other options. Kobo eReaders and Kindle devices can be hacked (ethically) and loaded with hundreds of files that can be read anywhere without Internet connectivity. They can be charged using commonly available power supplies and solar power banks, just to name a few options. Its best to install KOReader and mount the device as a folder in Calibre. Then, you can upload documents to the device and write the metadata used by Calibre along side it for easy browsing. Files can be copied from the devices onto computers if need be.

WIP