Re: orphans, doing something (was what are orphan works?)

From: "jon" 
> joseph harris wrote:
> 
>> Google has no intention of searching out orphans that are not either on library bookshelves that it can scavenge, or produced into public domain by efforts like those of Gutenberg [Gutenberg handles only public domain works of course]. I have absolutely no idea what serves research and culture best in this, but sometimes the whole original contains much which any digital copying will lose.
> 
> But given the system of Statutory Deposit that has operated in the 
> English-speaking world at least for many decades now, there are vast 
> numbers of books on library shelves -- or in filing cabinets in locked 
> rooms, or underground vaults. I don't know what proportion this is of 
> all the books ever published in English but -- assuming they can find 
> them -- it should be a substantial fraction. And considered in terms of 
> what people WANT to read it should satisfy 99% of consumers at least.
> 
> Jon.

It is interesting that the statutory deposit requirement [6 recipients, now 4] has been honoured in the breach for more years than I care to remember. The collections remain probably the best available i nthe UK, and at one time included everything in the countries of the Empire! The National Library [incorporating the late lamented British Museum Library minus its historic reading room] is not digitising the ancient and out of copyright material, and may go on to digitise newer stuff.

But I remain doubtful about any quantifying of these. In the climate of easy entry and freedom to publish and hold copyright I think few of the orphans will be worth any of the efforts proposed, and even if they are all worth reading, the price of Google control is too high by a mile.

Joseph Harris


Joseph Harris  -  Debt Control Man
author: Control Your Debt Crisis on Your Own Terms
blog: http://debtcontrolman.wordpress.com
http://www.controlyourdebtcrisis.co.uk
debt dictionary: http://www.controlyourdebtcrisis.co.uk/debtwiki/



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