Internet Archive Challenges Google

richards1052 writes "The Internet Archive, whose main claim to fame is the Wayback Machine, designed to archive the internet's web history, has created a new project: the Open Content Alliance. It's purpose is to open the nation's library collections to universal web search. A number of major library systems, including the Boston Public Library and Smithsonian, have refused to sign up with competing ventures by Microsoft and Google because they do not provide for universal access to digitized books. These commercial ventures prohibit books being accessed by competing search engines. So far, 80 libraries and research institutions have signed on with Open Content Alliance. They must pay for the scanning of their books while Google and Microsoft offset that cost for their participating institutions."

Society lost

[packetmon]

I believe I've commented on something like this before. Might be a good idea to archive the books lest somewhere in the future we re-live something like the Spanish Inquisition where important literature was lost. Its also making this society a bunch of couch potatoes. What ever happened to walking into a quiet library, the smell of stale books, looking around at people. Its slowly being replaced by reading books online and hitting ctrl-w to close annoying popups while you read. Currently I have about 30+ Cisco (CCIE/NP/IP/etc) books and each come with their PDF's. At first I thought, neat I can read them on my laptop... Nowadays I find its easy to just open the book, nothing like butchering my books up with highlighters... This world is coming to one where companies will be fighting to keep us locked in our houses. Call me a troll, just speculation

Project Gutenberg...

[Sherloqq]

... but on a much larger scale?

Wondering...

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

How many of these libraries think of Open Source and software platform choice? How many of them make sure their web sites are platform agnostic, equally accessible from all browsers? These people are willing to stand up and are willing to pay more to preserve their liberty. Hats off to them. But does this stand also extends to not having their documents locked down in a proprietary format encumbered with licenses and restrictions? I would very much like such ideas, being independent of vendors, would extend to Corporate America too.

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Re:Society lost

[luder]

What ever happened to walking into a quiet library, the smell of stale books, looking around at people. Its slowly being replaced by reading books online and hitting ctrl-w to close annoying popups while you read.

Funny, I bet someone said the same thing when the average person began to have enough purchasing power to buy individual copies of books...

Re:Society lost

[absorbr]

But there is advantage in being able to search those technical manuals. Leave the couch potato business to me, there's already enough reason (health) to get outside, soak up sun, and exercise.

Re:Society lost

[Steauengeglase]

Why not go to the library?

Easy, because many public libraries are becoming nothing more than places where people go to check their e-mail. Of course a nice university library is something completely different, but the small town public library is pretty much giving up on those bulky paper things. Why buy new books when you can offer poor people a place to get on-line (and get a bunch of grants)?

My local library only buys 10% of the books that it bought 8 years ago.

Digital has its advantages

[JCSoRocks]

I agree that a nice, hard bound book is, at the moment, more pleasant to read. However, technologies such as e-Ink and others that allow you to read something digitally without the eye-strain of using a back lit monitor are catching on. I think a few factors make digital copies more advantageous - cost of duplication, storage, protection from damage, searchability.

Storage: I just moved, and I moved three bookcases full of books. That sucked. If those were all digital, I'd have hauled my computer from A to B and brought all of my books with me. In addition, I moved to a smaller house. Trying to find a place for my three bookcases of books has been impossible.

Cost of duplication: With digital copies, books can be distributed without the overhead costs of printing and shipping.

Protection from damage: Many of the books housed in libraries, particularly places like the Smithsonian, are no longer in print. If it's destroyed, regardless of whether it's an accident or a malicious act, it's gone. The library may be able to get another copy from a benevolent individual or the last copy may have just been destroyed. With a digital copy, you can make back-ups of your back-ups... safeguarding the content of that book.

Searchability: This is my favorite... Who hasn't spent 30 minutes skimming a book trying to find THAT ONE PAGE!? It drives me nuts. Searching would make books sooo much more convenient.

Re:Society lost

[hasbeard]

It seems to me that in today's climate, religious conservatives (You would probably consider me one) are also threatened with censorship. Some Christian leaders have pointed out the possibility that "hate speech" laws could be utilized to limit the ability of Christians to free practice their faith and voice their beliefs about homosexuality and other matters. It isn't that difficult to posit a future in which the Bible could be banned as "hate speech" and Christians jailed, denied employment, or are otherwise discriminated against because of their beliefs. Secular, totalitarian states have also banned and burned books. There are Christians enduring persecution in many places in the world even as I type this. And if you want to ask someone about government censorship, you may want to talk to the Chinese people where Christians and others are regularly censored by their non-religious government.

Re:Society lost

[Achromatic1978]

Birth control leads to the objectification of women

Show me this study, I'm curious. Or was it just one thrown in there that seemed like it might fit, and just so happens to further the 'birth control is evil' agenda?

Re:Society lost

[triffid_98]

It's not just the right you need be concerned with, the left is equally likely to purge "inappropriate content", they just make up different reasons for it. It espouses racism (Huckleberry Finn), it's pornographic (The Scarlet Letter), it's dangerous (The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments). Big brother or nanny government, it all boils down to the same thing. 2008 is coming people, can we please can all of these assholes before I end up having to describe this as double plus good?

(read Christian religious right) have "won" and science as it now stands is banned. Books could easily be "misplaced" by these folks, and the library of congress purged of "inappropriate content".

Re:It isn't that difficult...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, because it is perfectly acceptable to persecute people as long as they are part of the majority, or alternatively it is impossible to persecute a member of the majority so if you think this happened then you must have imagined it.

Don't you dare try to use their suffering to perpetuate your persecution complex in this country.

Which country is that? The only one that matters?

Re:Society lost

[gateur]

Right wing conservatives who think evolution is a fraud and want to use the Supreme Court to force their personal beliefs upon the rest of America are not "Christians". There is nothing "Christian" about their beliefs. They are nothing more than a gang of hate mongers that use a professed faith in Christianity for political purposes and fund raising.