Moreover, we require that these methods be sufficiently flexible to adapt to patterns of usage that evolve during the operation of the digital library. In approaching this resource allocation problem we plan to treat the alternative information services as competing economic activities. Given a measure of priorities over the end-user services provided, the various agents effectively compete to provide the highest level of service using the minimal computational resources. We emphasize, however, that the ultimate specification of service priorities is left open to the operators of the digital library. Regardless, if the competition operates smoothly, the result can be an efficient overall allocation of computational resources towards the optimal provision of services to users.
Agents dynamically connect with each other as opportunities arise for mutually beneficial exchanges.
In order for the production and distribution of information goods to be economically viable, there must be some mechanism for recovering costs. Yet pricing information goods is notoriously difficult. The first copy of an information good will often be very costly to produce, while subsequent copies may cost next to nothing. The combination of high fixed costs and negligible marginal costs creates difficulties for conventional forms of pricing. For example, standard economic theory argues that it is desirable to price goods at marginal cost.