From: kyle@uunet.uu.net (Kyle Jones)
Subject: Re: Some hard questions (was: Books that last)
Organization: UUNET Technologies, Inc
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 08:01:08 GMT

ehp@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU ("Didi Pancake") writes:
 > I believe that the average person is and will continue to be
 > virtually computer-illiterate.

Agreed for the foreseeable future.  Still people are using
computers anyway, e.g. VCRs and ATMs,

 > My oh my, I can certainly tell that most folks haven't worked in a
 > library except to do their research papers in college. (Sorry, I don't
 > mean to slight anyone with that remark, but things look a lot different
 > from my side of the library fence.) All respondents to date have
 > conveniently skipped over the hard parts...
 > 
 > -- selecting what gets "treated" (or even what gets treated first)

I would expect publishers to take the lead here since they have
the most to gain.  Things simply cannot go on as they are
currently.  Books are continuing to accumulate and real estate is
becoming more and more a premium.  There is money to be made,
just as there was when records began being stored on microfiche.

 > -- who will do the indexing so that the data can be retrieved again
 >    (which is a highly intellectual and demanding activity with an
 >    unfortunately high degree of routine and attention to detail
 >    required--i.e. tough to get good people to do it to exacting
 >    standards)

The same people who're doing the indexing now.  Naturally they
can do this and still keep up with the glut of information coming
in already.  The first objective ought to be to stop producing
paper books.  Once that's accomplished, then the long journey to
converting old material to some electronic form can begin.

 > -- how will the indexing be done so that various types of software
 >    can be used (i.e. who will determine the Standards for indexing and
 >    enforce them)

Probably the publisher that churns out the most product
initially.  There will be a de facto standard or three for a
while and we'll learn from that.  Then some standards
organization will sit down and hopefull try to codify existing
practice and give us a standard.

 > -- who will actually sit with the camera and turn the pages (since
 >    most of the books in direst need of preservation are seriously
 >    embrittled and falling to dust already, this is absolutely NOT
 >    something that can be left to a robot, and in fact, may require
 >    more training and discrimination and attention to detail than you
 >    can get out of all but the best and most highly paid work/study
 >    students, in which case you might as well hire someone permanent
 >    who won't leave after the end of the school term)

Someone will have to be paid to do the work certainly, this is
why I suggest that publishers take the lead.  They will be making
the money, so they can paid to have the work done.  Surely a
library would be willing to pay for an electronic copy of book,
rather than having no book at all.  If not, then the old book
isn't really worth saving, is it?

 > -- And the real "biggie" which I keep mentioning, who pays. As much
 >    lip service as is given to preserving our intellectual and
 >    cultural heritage, etc. etc.  etc., in real life, such
 >    preservation efforts are at the bottom of the hole under the
 >    political dogpile. Such projects just aren't sexy enough in the
 >    public mind to warrant spending hard-earned tax dollars on in the
 >    face of requests to fill potholes in the roads, provide
 >    food-stamps/health care/pensions/whatever else anyone wants free,
 >    etc.

I'm not all that interesting in the preserving our cultural
heritage bit.  I just want the information saved.  You're right,
money is going to have to drive this thing, and I don't expect
much government help.  In fact things will work better if the
government stays out of it, I think.

 > Another question--what about copyright? That sort of slops over into
 > another thread in rec.org.mensa, but it is something that needs to be
 > dealt with before mass storage can become a reality.

The copyright issue is being hashed out even now, e.g. DAT
technology and software copy protection or the lack thereof.

 > And what about refereed journals as proof of academic and
 > research merit -- i.e. publish or perish? What system can be
 > developed to supplant the old "see it in print" syndrome for
 > the aspiring academician?

Why can't electronic versions of journals be published with the
same review processes occurring before publication?

Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa