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Issues for bringing digital libraries into public useIn much the same way that the field of artificial intelligence produced a cult which fervently believed that computers would soon think like human beings, the existence of electronic books has resurrected the paperless society as a utopian vision to some, an apocalyptic horror to others. In this essay we have attempted to provide realistic notions of what digital libraries are likely to become if they are a popular success. E-books are capable of subsuming most of the media we use today and have the potential for added functionality by being interactive. The environmental impact of having millions more computers will be offset to some degree, perhaps even exceeded, by the fact that televisions, stereos, VCR's, CD players, newspapers, magazines, and books will become part of the computer system or be made redundant. On the whole, large-scale use of digital libraries is likely to be a winning proposition. Whether or not this comes to pass depends on the directions taken by today's researchers and software developers. By involving the public, the effort being put into digital libraries can be leveraged into something which is big enough to make a real change for the better. If digital libraries remain the exclusive property of government, universities, and large research firms, then large parts of the world will remain without digital libraries for years to come, just as they have remained without digital phone service for far too long. If software companies try to scuttle the project by patenting crucial algorithms and using proprietary data formats, all of us will suffer. Let us reverse the errors of the past and create a truly open digital library system.
Document ID
19940029315
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Flater, David W.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD, United States)
Yesha, Yelena
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
April 1, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Goddard Space Flight Center, The Third NASA Goddard Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies
Subject Category
Documentation And Information Science
Accession Number
94N33821
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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