Final Thought: Digitization Projects

There were books before Gutenberg printing press, just as I'm sure there were digital archives before Project Gutenberg.  Interestingly they have both served the same function; the printing press marks the popular dissemination of the book and Project Gutenberg marks the first of the free, large-scale digital archives. For those manning the presses in those early days the work was dangerous and messy. I imagine the early work of Project Gutenberg was characterized by the tedium of old school data entry and, later, finicky scanners. Beyond its early creation date (1971). I think the sheer amount of effort invested by so many volunteers is what makes this archive noteworthy. It was started and persevered during the years when digitization was just plain hard.

Screen Capture of Project Gutenberg's Homepage

So forty year later, Project Gutenberg has ten affiliated partners internationally (such Project Gutenberg Australia) and over 38 000 works available for free download. They provide ebook editions of public domain materials in many translations and usable formats. The more material that moves out of copyright, the larger the collection grows.  If something is considered a classic work, it is probably available there.

Fifth Thought: Smartphones and Libraries

When it comes to smart phones and the modern library the greatest potential (I think) lies in the creation of specific apps to help patrons with their various needs. The Ottawa Public library (OPL) employs just such an app that allows users to access the catalogue, manage their account and read ebooks all on their wireless device. The obvious advantage is that patron need not be tied-down to a library workstation or their own PC in order to conduct their research.

The downside of this kind of service is that it does typically require a micro-transaction. When people think of libraries they generally have the expectation that service will be free, while the same cannot be said for the wireless app market. The implementation of a library app like this almost demands that the library has a wi-fi system to provide on-site users with wireless internet access. It would be a contradiction to reach out to wireless users with an app useful everywhere but the actual library.