Hello Class,
This article discusses the digitization of books by Google
and e-readers such as Kindle and how they will affect the future of libraries. The co-authors of the article are clearly
supportive of these recent developments in technology and their potential
usefulness in allowing global access to libraries for students, researchers,
and just the average Joe.
I’ve read a lot about Google’s attempt to scan vast library
collections as well as the legal implications of scanning & making public copyrighted
texts, so it’s made me curious to follow up on the current status of the legal
filings. Even though I see the amazing
benefits of making books, journals, and other resources available to everyone
online, I also understand the importance of copyright law. If all written material was made free of
charge, there would be no monetary incentive in writing anything new! It will be interesting to investigate how the
Google project has panned out.
An intriguing statistic the authors mention is that only an
estimated 20% of libraries’ collections are used 80% of the time. They suggest that the “popular” 20% could be
kept in both electronic & hard copy format, while the remaining 80% could
simply be held electronically. This
seems like a nice suggestion, although, I wonder how much less that 80% will become
once it isn’t readily available for the average shelf-browsing library patron. With government and school cutbacks to
libraries, however, could be a good cost-cutting compromise that would still provide
great resources to students and the public.
Thanks for listening!
Melissa
I believe that there are many benefits to these electronic devices being used as readers, such as the Kindle and Google. For example in the article they mentioned that it is beneficial to those with visual impairments and the Kindle has a feature in which the story is read aloud. Not only is this beneficial to those with visual impairments but it could be used in the classroom for students that are just learning to read. By having the book read aloud the student can follow the words and those words that the student may have struggled with before are being read aloud to them and they are able to sound out specific words. They are able to understand how the word is used in context. I don't know too much about scanning laws and copyright issues but i do understand how that could be a major concern. Bottom line I feel these digital libraries provide students and teachers with vast educational opportunities.
ReplyDeleteHey Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with everything you're saying. But I am having trouble deciding, okay, well . . . what now? Where do we go from here, essentially? Because technology is moving fast forward ahead -- and we're either going to adapt and support it, or get lost in a flurry. I feel like the copyrights are not really a concern to me. That might be terrible to think or say, but for my future students, it would be awesome just to have any resource they need available at any time. I am for that. :)
Marina