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