Why PaperCuts?

When I was thinking about what to do to celebrate National Library Week, which isn't much of a to-do outside of the world of librarians, I thought that what I really wanted to do was find some way for Midland students who read a lot, and I do mean a lot, to publish their thoughts about the books they're reading. A blog where we could post reviews, photos, and videos all year long seemed perfect.

Before posting anything, I had to find some catchy name for our blog. (Google won't let you set up a blog without a name!) As soon as I was put on the spot, naturally, I couldn't think of anything at all interesting. So, I called my husband, who has an uncanny talent for such things. The first thing out of his mouth was PaperCuts. I loved it, but I didn't want his head to swell too much, so I consulted a few other folks, who had really great ideas like GreenZine and IQCompost. All good, but I just couldn't get PaperCuts out of my head.

Why PaperCuts? It's so perfect because at Midland we are truly committed to sustainable living. Our students learn from the moment they step onto our campus that we are all stewards of the land, and that with that stewardship comes a certain responsibility. We are 15% solar powered, and our solar arrays are installed by students. And we are particularly passionate about limiting waste and recycling. (Click here to learn more about us.)

That's where PaperCuts comes in. Sure, electronic book reviews cut down on paper, but the real message is recycling. Libraries are the ultimate recyclers. We have been from the first idea of a free, public lending library. One book read over and over and over by scads and scads of people. Saves loads and loads of trees. . . PaperCuts.

Oh sure, PaperCuts, original name? No. A little Google searching (sorry, I still can't accept "googling" as a verb) shows that many others have fancied the name Paper Cuts as well, most notably The New York Times, which is blogging about "books and other printed matter." Many other libraries are blogging under the name Papercuts, and a company in Canada calling itself Paper Cuts will come to your business and professionally shred all of your paper and haul it off for recycling.

But we'll keep PaperCuts and our original twist on the name. It's perfect for Midland and the way we live and read.