Make library books - full texts - free on the web!
"Google has changed its policy and will now allow users to download full-image files of public domain books in its Google Book Search collection. Until now, Google had insisted that readers remain connected to Google while they read any public domain books online. Why the change in policy? According to Adam M. Smith, product manager for Google Book Search, It stemmed from listening to users and our library partners. Competition may have had some influence, however, both from the downloading policies of the Open Content Alliance and, now, from Googles own library partners. For example, the University of Michiganone of Google Book Searchs most generous and activist library partnershas begun releasing MBooks to the open Web, as well as to its campus users. The MBooks collection currently includes hundreds of thousands of books Google has digitized from the University of Michigans library collection. The MBooks offer different features than the versions Google Book Search supplies directly. It also includes in-copyright books, though only to produce individual book indexing...." - From Peter Suber's blog. Friends: Indian and other developing university libraries may follow the Michigan University Library and digitize all the books in their collections and make them available free on the web. Subbiah Arunachalam ___________________________________________________________ To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. http://uk.security.yahoo.com
Though I am for Open Access, But here I beg to differ with the
comments of Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam as added below the Google Item.
Google policy change has been in regard to "public domain books". That
is - books out of Copy-Right Provisions.
So (be)aware of the copy right provisions before you digitise "all
books" of your library collection and make them freely available
through web.
--Sukhdev Singh, NIC.
On 06/09/06, Subbiah Arunachalam
"Google has changed its policy and will now allow users to download full-image files of public domain books in its Google Book Search collection. Until now, Google had insisted that readers remain connected to Google while they read any public domain books online. Why the change in policy? According to Adam M. Smith, product manager for Google Book Search, "It stemmed from listening to users and our library partners." Competition may have had some influence, however, both from the downloading policies of the Open Content Alliance and, now, from Google's own library partners. For example, the University of Michigan—one of Google Book Search's most generous and activist library partners—has begun releasing MBooks to the open Web, as well as to its campus users. The MBooks collection currently includes hundreds of thousands of books Google has digitized from the University of Michigan's library collection. The MBooks offer different features than the versions Google Book Search supplies directly. It also includes in-copyright books, though only to produce individual book indexing...." - From Peter Suber's blog.
Friends:
Indian and other developing university libraries may follow the Michigan University Library and digitize all the books in their collections and make them available free on the web.
Subbiah Arunachalam
___________________________________________________________ To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. http://uk.security.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ LIS-Forum mailing list LIS-Forum@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum
This is in response to Dr. Arunachalam's mail and Mr. Sukhdev Singh's comment Could one of you (or anyone on the list) explain this in a fairly simple and brief note - I have not had the time to go deep into this........... How has the U Michigan managed to put on the web - books that are still copyright protected? Unless Indian libraries know the complete legal process involved, we cannot do this. Further I would be interested in knowing people's opinions on how open access will work in the long run? As a professional librarian, I definitely will be the happiest to see everything being available free. But the practical human being in me thinks "Someone has got to pay for all this". And being in the medical line, I am aware that approx 70% of healthcare in India is provided by private practitioners. I dont know the percentage of private practitioners who write articles, but I know that several of them do. If all journals became open access, and the publishing is funded by Institutions, then how will private practitioners write? Who will pay for their articles? Simply depositing them in open access repositories do not guarantee the reach out to audience, and then there is a question about the acceptability of it as a publication, if it is not in a regular journal Please note - I am not trying to raise any debate of pro or anti open access. I am genuinely wanting to learn about the best ways in which people can get access to all published information - either free, or at reasonable / affordable costs. I would hate to see some good efforts go because of wrong ways of implementation. I also openly admit that I do not know all developments that have happened so far about open access. I welcome any knowledge bits that people will provide me. Regards Vasumathi
Infact, the very purpose of my comment was to avoid any confusion
between Copy-Rights and Open Access. Open Access is compatible with
Copy-Rights". However this confusion got unfortunately created. The
phrase "Public Domain Books" was important in the Google Item in
question.
Open Access works on the principle that the first rights holder (the
author) retains his/her right to self-archive his/her published
article. And now publishers like Elsevier allow authors to
self-archive their articles. Remember, this is in addition to
publication by tradional channels.
Moreover there are now OA Publishing models (BioMed Central, PLoS are
just few examples) which allow the articles to be "Born-Open Access".
However this OA philosphy works best for scholary articles only
because their authors are primarily interested in wider circulation of
their articles.
But for books, this philosphy does not work. Book Authors are
interested in royalities. I wonder, if they or their publishers will
allow open access of their books.
So, for OA to work, the culture of publishing needs to be reformed.
Different publishing models are being tried. Authors need to know what
is in their favor. And what options are available to them for their
intended purpose.
--Thanks,
Sukhdev Singh, NIC.
On 08/09/06, Vasumathi Sriganesh
This is in response to Dr. Arunachalam's mail and Mr. Sukhdev Singh's comment
Could one of you (or anyone on the list) explain this in a fairly simple and brief note - I have not had the time to go deep into this........... How has the U Michigan managed to put on the web - books that are still copyright protected? Unless Indian libraries know the complete legal process involved, we cannot do this.
Further I would be interested in knowing people's opinions on how open access will work in the long run? As a professional librarian, I definitely will be the happiest to see everything being available free. But the practical human being in me thinks "Someone has got to pay for all this". And being in the medical line, I am aware that approx 70% of healthcare in India is provided by private practitioners. I dont know the percentage of private practitioners who write articles, but I know that several of them do. If all journals became open access, and the publishing is funded by Institutions, then how will private practitioners write? Who will pay for their articles? Simply depositing them in open access repositories do not guarantee the reach out to audience, and then there is a question about the acceptability of it as a publication, if it is not in a regular journal
Please note - I am not trying to raise any debate of pro or anti open access. I am genuinely wanting to learn about the best ways in which people can get access to all published information - either free, or at reasonable / affordable costs. I would hate to see some good efforts go because of wrong ways of implementation. I also openly admit that I do not know all developments that have happened so far about open access.
I welcome any knowledge bits that people will provide me.
Regards
Vasumathi
participants (3)
-
Subbiah Arunachalam -
Sukhdev Singh -
Vasumathi Sriganesh