Brewster KahleAug 13, 2023

“The permanence of library collections may become a thing of the past,” said Jason Schultz, director of New York University’s Technology Law & Policy Clinic.

“I wish the publishers had not sued, but it demonstrates how important it is that libraries stand firm on buying, preserving and lending the treasures that are books.” -me, Digital Librarian

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/business/media/internet-archive-emergency-lending-library.html

The Case of the Internet Archive vs. Book Publishers

In the pandemic emergency, Brewster Kahle’s Internet Archive freely lent out digital scans of its library. Publishers sued. Owning a book means something different now.

The New York Times
Show threadlutomaAug 13, 2023
@brewsterkahle The Dream Was Universal Access To Knowledge. The
Show threadRich Stein (he/him)

@lutoma @brewsterkahle I don't know the NYT's fin ops, but it's true — and frustrating — that there isn't a better way to access articles of interest when they're paywalled. TlWaPo = most frustrating to me — Bezos could make it free online (marginal cost of new readers = 0), & he would not miss a cent. Instead, democracy does die in darkness.

Strikes me for other, smaller news outlets, a coop approach to access — e.g., wkly/monthly/per N articles subscription where you pick & choose might work.

Aug 13, 2023 at 2:53pmWeb