The internet age presents us with examples of supposed-expertise at all turns; hardly any website that sells products will also not hesitate to show what users who have previously bought those products think of their experiences. Outside reading applies portions of the most well-known of these user reviews and places them in a real environment—library books—so patrons can apply whatever shaky qualifications they may have in reviewing a work and make it known to those who come after them. While patrons are always the ones who create and leave the reviews, anyone who stumbles across one later can further the project by leaving feedback on that review, acting as a check on the unqualified reviewer.
This project was produced distributed to the public in the Fall 2009 issue of the Vagus Nerve, an art and literary publication for UNLV students. Copies of the Vagus Nerve are available at many campus locations, including UNLV's Moyer Student Union, the CSUN Student Government offices, and at the Arts Factory downtown.