B.G. Sloan wrote:
> What librarians will need (once a GBS settlement is reached) is a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Google Book Search. What does it do well? What doesn't it do well? What will users like about it? What won't users like about it? What sorts of books will still need to be purchased (i.e., are there some kinds of things you WON'T be able to get via a GBS subscription)? In other words, some clear talking points that will make sense to administrators...something beyond the old argument that some of your library users like the look and feel of physical books.
>
>
The issue of GBS NOT actually being a reliable preservation copy seems
relevant.
The recent Ithaka report is VERY relevant here.
http://tinyurl.com/ydp3cmk
Some of the footnotes in that paper reference other papers on how GBS is
not a reliable preservation copy.
But the main point of the paper is that as libraries get rid of their
print, we need to make sure there are a suitable number of verified
preservation copies of each thing, so we don't accidentally lose access
to it entirely because we didn't keep it around.
That's important, but I think that's actually the right vision for
library print holdings. With OR without GBS, in fact. If there's a copy
of a book a patron can get from ILL _somewhere_, or can get online (in
verified preservation format, and print on demand if need be; and yes,
the Ithaka report also mentions that some scholars really do need a
physical copy) _somewhere_, I think that is probably our user's needs
for the foreseeable future. Not _just_ because of GBS, with or without
GBS -- because of the general environment and context we are in. It's
probably exactly right that libraries are going to be seriously
downsizing their print holdings -- the important thing is making sure
there are sufficient verified preservation and use copies to fill ILL
and future scanning needs.
And don't worry, there's PLENTY of work to do to ensure that. Work we're
not in fact doing so much of at the moment. I am not worried about
running out of work to do, if we stop doing some things, hopefully
that'll give us time to do the very important things we aren't currently
doing much of. Of course those things will need to be justified to
funders, but they are very justifiable things.
Jonathan
Received on Wed Oct 07 2009 - 17:10:53 EDT