Posting this here, in ~tech, because despite the title it is really about the implications of the Internet Archive lawsuit that is currently ongoing. Very quick to read, but nonetheless I will...
Posting this here, in ~tech, because despite the title it is really about the implications of the Internet Archive lawsuit that is currently ongoing. Very quick to read, but nonetheless I will still post and excerpt:
The future of intellectual property is bound up with accessibility, use, and reuse. A book or article that is not accessible in the space of intelligent consumption—a digitally dominated space—will disappear forever, like an ancient poet who never managed to get copied into the newfangled codex technology and lies today in the sands of Egypt hoping, for the most part in vain, that some archaeologist may yet dig up his papyrus roll. When (not if) humankind outsources much of what we now call reading to bots and agents and other AI interventions yet unborn, the inaccessible intellectual object will simply no longer have a meaningful existence.
The "disappear forever" bit seems exaggerated. When I went to university, there was a sign that "a mis-shelved book is a lost book," to try to encourage the undergrads to be careful where they put...
The "disappear forever" bit seems exaggerated.
When I went to university, there was a sign that "a mis-shelved book is a lost book," to try to encourage the undergrads to be careful where they put things on the open stacks.
I don't think a properly shelved book should count as lost? There are lots of closed stacks. Scholars use inter-library loans, or, if necessary, visiting an archive in person.
It's true that it might not be read if nobody is doing the research. But it's still there, in case someone wants it. That's what research libraries are for.
And it doesn't seem like this has much to do with the Internet Archive lawsuit, which if I understand correctly is about lending out unlimited copies of a book for free.
Posting this here, in ~tech, because despite the title it is really about the implications of the Internet Archive lawsuit that is currently ongoing. Very quick to read, but nonetheless I will still post and excerpt:
The "disappear forever" bit seems exaggerated.
When I went to university, there was a sign that "a mis-shelved book is a lost book," to try to encourage the undergrads to be careful where they put things on the open stacks.
I don't think a properly shelved book should count as lost? There are lots of closed stacks. Scholars use inter-library loans, or, if necessary, visiting an archive in person.
It's true that it might not be read if nobody is doing the research. But it's still there, in case someone wants it. That's what research libraries are for.
And it doesn't seem like this has much to do with the Internet Archive lawsuit, which if I understand correctly is about lending out unlimited copies of a book for free.