[LINK] The library as the latest web venture

[Tony Barry]

Source:  Edupage, 16 June 2000

THE LIBRARY AS THE LATEST WEB VENTURE
Libraries are entering the Digital Age with the advent of
electronic library research companies such as Ebrary.com and
Questia Media.  Electronic library projects are intended to help
users do scholarly research, not to be confused with the
electronic book industry, which is focused on the popular reading
experience.  Companies are hoping to appeal to Internet-savvy
students who consider cyberspace more efficient than the stacks.
NetLibrary already allows users to view books online for a
limited period of time, but its relatively modest number of books
and publishers' objections to the subscription system has
hampered success.  Ebrary.com plans to have 600,000 volumes
online by its fall opening, compared with NetLibrary's 18,000
copyrighted books.  Furthermore, publishers can make money each
time a user views the scanned book pages with Questia, and each
time a user prints a page with Ebrary.com, compared with one-time
library profits.  Some have expressed concerns about public
libraries turning into profit-making ventures, taking low-income
access to online materials into account.  But other librarians
say electronic libraries will ultimately lead users back to
traditional libraries for closer reading. (New York Times, 15 June 2000)
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