From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2011 11:59:52 -0600


A very interesting and provocative article!  There is a discussion
going on over at The Scholarly Kitchen under the heading "The Costs of
Print" that relates to some of the major points raised in Chuck's
article: http://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2011/12/07/the-costs-of-print/#comments.
See, in particular, the comment by Pete Brewster and the responses
thereto.

Sandy Thatcher



> From: "Hamaker, Charles" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2011 03:51:00 +0000
>
>
> Since Ebooks are creatures of licenses, some of you might be
> interested in this article just published in Searcher Magazine:
> http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/dec11/Hamaker.shtml
>
> Ebooks on Fire:Controversies Surrounding Ebooks in Libraries
>
> Perhaps the greatest impediment for the transition from the tradition
> of the printed book to the ebook comes from the malleability of the
> etext. While it might not matter to the occasional or recreational
> reader, the ebook presents a host of challenges for the role of the
> book as transmitter, carrier, and shaper of our written word cultural
> heritage.
> Ubiquitous web and print ads tell individuals and libraries to "buy"
> ebooks. But long-term preservation and retention rights to stable
> content are not the norm, because many resellers and vendors don't
> possess those rights from the publisher or author. Instead of true
> ownership, most ebook "purchases" are more like leases, and leases
> with few residual rights at that. The only way to assure continuing
> access and storage for an ebook is a permanent download to a device
> with rights not governed by strict DRM (Digital Rights Management)
> systems. With content delivered from a hosted service on the web (aka
> the cloud), the "purchaser" has no control over the content. Even
> Google Books bears the disclaimer:
>
> [I]f Google or the applicable copyright holder loses the rights to
> provide you any Digital Content, Google will cease serving such
> Digital Content to you and you may lose the ability to use such
> Digital Content
>
> I'd be interested in seeing any reactions or comments anyone might
> have to this article and the points it raises.
>
> Chuck Hamaker