Press: “Quid futurum litterarum? : will there be a Digital Public Library of America? Part 2.”
“The impact of a universal public library today can be compared to that of Gutenberg’s printing press, in that it could provide an unprecedented number of people speedy access to a wealth of information. It makes a vast collection of rare resources readily available to people who, without such a service, would seldom be granted such access, not to forget that a digital copy is less vulnerable to decay and may be used indefinitely, allowing unrestricted access to even the rarest materials. ‘The [Digital Public Library of America] must respect copyright,’ writes Robert Darnton in the April 28th issue of the New York Review of Books. ‘In order to succeed where Google failed, it will have to include several million orphan books; and it will not be able to do that unless Congress clears the way by appropriate legislation.'”
From Lars Halle article on UArts Libraries News, “Quid futurum litterarum? : will there be a Digital Public Library of America? Part 2.”