Global Library

Two years ago, after hearing Brewster Kahle discuss his idea of a digital library, I wrote about the "Digital Library for the Planet." Now, after hearing Brewster again, this time at Seybold, discuss what he is doing now and then attending NEDCC's "Off the Wall and Online² conference, I thought it was time to revisit this subject. It is my firm belief that what might seem like a snowball to some of us is actually turning into an avalanche of original material, an avalanche that contains more original material being made accessible through digital technology, than many of us thought possible in our lifetimes. To prove my point, check out Brewster Kahle's own site Internet Archive, from which you can visit the Library of Congress' American Memory or the Million Book Project. There is also Colorado's or Utah's digitization project s of their local history. Internet Archive's sub title is "universal access to human knowledge." The British Library is more succinct with "world's knowledge." Either way, original material all around the world is being digitized at a prodigious rate.

The problem, as all users of digital information know, is that it is not always easy to find the wheat within the chaff. In my article, "Digital Library for the Planet" I listed five points, which Brewster had noted as necessary to make a Global digital library a reality:

• A meaningful cataloging system to which most of the world agrees or can relate
• World agreement on intellectual property rights
• Digital imaging standards
• A giant Portal which links and organizes all these collections
• Digital collections

For the next several issues I plan to discuss each of these points in regards to: the point of development for each, who is doing it and what the future seems to hold. I truly believe we are on the cusp of having access to an amazing collection of original material.

Of course, what we may want to do with it is debatable. The current mantra for digitizers is "for Preservation and Access." This usually means that by providing access to the material via a digital file you preserve the original from damage by handling. In addition, of course it is assumed that digital files can provide a broader access to original material via the internet. However, I would also like to bring to mind some other preservation and access results of digitization.

One is printing on Demand. Not that I can take credit for anything but prescience, but in the article mentioned earlier, I described how Brewster's description of a digital library reminded me of the bookmobiles of my youth where the library came to us. That is exactly what has been done. It is called the internet bookmobile and prints on demand inexpensive books from the Million Book project. This project is busily digitizing books that are within or have been given to the public domain. The internet bookmobiles are now delivering paperback books on demand to children in India, Africa and here in the USA. If you have not had a chance to see it, check out the Internet Archive site.

The other result is what system engineers refer to as mirroring or back ups. The more glorified term is Global distribution. Since digital data can be copied without distortion and at very little cost, it is possible to have duplicate "libraries." In fact, it is de rigor to back up any digital collection of information. Well, this also means that when one digital repository is burned, looted, bombed or flooded, shook, its information is not lost.

Next month, I will talk about the cataloging standards that are being developed globally so that the world can preserve and access all human knowledge.