| "In this digital age, the custodians of | | | | period followed by a purchase option or an |
| published works are at the center of a global | | | | expiration, a-la Rosetta's expiring e-book. |
| copyright controversy that casts them as | | | | |
| villains simply for doing their job: letting | | | | Distributor Baker & Taylor have unveiled at |
| people borrow books for free." | | | | the recent ALA a prototype e-book |
| | | | distribution system jointly developed by |
| (ZDNet quoted by "Publisher's Lunch on July | | | | ibooks and Digital Owl. It will be sold to |
| 13, 2001) | | | | libraries by B&T's Informata division and |
| | | | Reciprocal. |
| It is amazing that the traditional archivists | | | | |
| of human knowledge - the libraries - failed | | | | The annual subscription for use of the |
| so spectacularly to ride the tiger of the | | | | digital library comprises "a catalog of |
| Internet, that epitome and apex of knowledge | | | | digital content, brandable pages and web |
| creation and distribution. At first, | | | | based tools for each participating library to |
| libraries, the inertial repositories of | | | | customize for their patrons. Patrons of |
| printed matter, were overwhelmed by the rapid | | | | participating libraries will then be able to |
| pace of technology and by the ephemeral and | | | | browse digital content online, or download |
| anarchic content it spawned. They were | | | | and check out the content they are most |
| reduced to providing access to dull card | | | | interested in. Content may be checked out for |
| catalogues and unimaginative collections of | | | | an extended period of time set by each |
| web links. The more daring added online | | | | library, including checking out eBooks from |
| exhibits and digitized collections. A typical | | | | home." Still, it seems that B&T's approach is |
| library web site is still comprised of static | | | | heavily influenced by software licencing |
| representations of the library's physical | | | | ("one copy one use"). |
| assets and a few quasi-interactive services. | | | | |
| | | | But, there is an underlying, fundamental |
| This tendency - by both publishers and | | | | incompatibility between the Internet and the |
| libraries - to inadequately and | | | | library. They are competitors. One vitiates |
| inappropriately pour old wine into new | | | | the other. Free Internet access and e-book |
| vessels is what caused the recent furor over | | | | reading devices in libraries notwithstanding |
| e-books. | | | | - the Internet, unless harnessed and |
| | | | integrated by libraries, threatens their very |
| The lending of e-books to patrons appears to | | | | existence by depriving them of patrons. |
| be a natural extension of the classical role | | | | Libraries, in turn, threaten the budding |
| of libraries: physical book lending. | | | | software industry we, misleadingly, call |
| Libraries sought also to extend their | | | | "e-publishing". |
| archival functions to e-books. But librarians | | | | |
| failed to grasp the essential and substantive | | | | There are major operational and philosophical |
| differences between the two formats. E-books | | | | differences between physical and virtual |
| can be easily, stealthily, and cheaply | | | | libraries. The former are based on the tried |
| copied, for instance. Copyright violations | | | | and proven technology of print. The latter on |
| are a real and present danger with e-books. | | | | the chaos we know as cyberspace and on |
| Moreover, e-books are not a tangible product. | | | | user-averse technologies developed by geeks |
| "Lending" an e-book - is tantamount to | | | | and nerds, rather than by marketers, users, |
| copying an e-book. In other words, e-books | | | | and librarians. |
| are not books at all. They are software | | | | |
| products. Libraries have pioneered digital | | | | Physical libraries enjoy great advantages, |
| collections (as they have other information | | | | not the least being their habit-forming head |
| technologies throughout history) and are | | | | start (2,500 years of first mover advantage). |
| still the main promoters of e-publishing. But | | | | Libraries are hubs of social interaction and |
| now they are at risk of becoming piracy | | | | entertainment (the way cinemas used to be). |
| portals. | | | | Libraries have catered to users' reference |
| | | | needs in reference centres for centuries |
| Solutions are, appropriately, being borrowed | | | | (and, lately, through Selective Dissemination |
| from the software industry. NetLibrary has | | | | of Information, or SDI). The war is by no |
| lately granted multiple user licences to a | | | | means decided. "Progress" may yet consist of |
| university library system. Such licences | | | | the assimilation of hi-tech gadgets by |
| allow for unlimited access and are priced | | | | lo-tech libraries. It may turn out to be |
| according to the number of the library's | | | | convergence at its best, as librarians become |
| patrons, or the number of its reading devices | | | | computer savvy - and computer types create |
| and terminals. Another possibility is to | | | | knowledge and disseminate it. |
| implement the shareware model - a trial | | | | |