"Libraries Enter the Digital Age"

"Libraries Enter the Digital Age." Talk of the Nation. NPR. May 11, 2007.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10136882

In this interview from NPR with Ira Flatow some key figures in the world of book digitization were interviewed: Michael S. Hart, Brewster Kahle, and Michael Keller. Michael S. Hart is part of the Gutenberg Project which is a volunteer based program that has transformed over one hundred thousand books into eBooks. Brewster Kahle is the director of the Internet Archive he has worked with the Gutenberg Project and mostly deals with books that have fallen outside of copyright laws and books that have been abandoned (orphan books). Michael Keller is part of the Google effort but does a lot of side projects. The discussion mainly focused on the issues concerning digital information and the future of libraries. A book can be digitized for about $30, which isn't that expensive, on the other hand Hart is part of a project that digitizes all kinds of information for free through the help of many, many volunteers. Either way it is clear that price is not an issue. The digitization of books is great news for libraries because it means a wider audience is able to access the information that is relevant to their questions. A big problem with this is copyright laws. Google is facing many lawsuits for digitizing books that are still within their copyright. Other organizations (like Hart's and some of Kahle's side projects) focus primarily on texts that have fallen out of the copyright. Unfortunately copyright laws are being more and more of an issue because they keep getting extended. Many of the people on this program expressed concerns for a future where everything is copyrighted permanently.

I really enjoyed listening to this interview. One of my favorite parts was something Brewster Kahle said when asked what this whole project is about. He said, "the dream is universal access to all knowledge." What a great dream! Keller made a great point toward the end about those who publish their works (blog, draw, etc.): "All those who create content should allow that content to be thoroughly indexed. And the active indexing of that content should not be a criminal act." I agree with Keller and Kahle about the importance of access to information and the role both parties (the creator and the receiver) must take to insure that access.