David,
Yes, indeed, as do academic presses in general. University presses are
among the worst offenders, with many volumes priced out of the range of
individual buyers. I suppose they have to do something to recoup the losses
from the limited appeal of many specialized subjects. But are these
artificially inflated prices sustainable? Won't libraries just stop buying
stuff they determine is not as important as X or Z? Who can blame them if they
need to make these budgetary decisions, but how scary is that? Publishers in
turn will stop publishing the things that aren't so "important"...
Things are increasingly turning to online resources, but this raises real
issues of ephemerality. What is the probability that someone a hundred years
from now will be able to access the exact online information that people the
people in 2010 accessed? The long-term survivability of much of today's
information might very well depend on loose printouts, made and preserved at
some anonymous user's whim. Digital storage media has also shown that it is
far less reliable than first believed (CDRs only have about a ten year shelf
life, for example.)
Wow, that's much more of a free association rant than I first intended.
Anyway, I suppose it goes to show that the accomplishments of our civilization
hang by a much thinner thread than any of us realize. All of our artifacts
might ultimately be far less permanent than the wooden ceiling of an ancient
Greek temple.
Chris
Christopher Wilke
Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer
www.christopherwilke.com
--- On Thu, 11/11/10, David Tayler <[email protected]> wrote:
> From: David Tayler <[email protected]>
> Subject: [LUTE] Re: More digital facsimiles from the (public) libraries?
> To: "lute-cs.dartmouth.edu" <[email protected]>
> Date: Thursday, November 11, 2010, 8:54 PM
> By charging high prices, sometimes
> hundreds of dollars, for these
> facsimile editions, the libraries are deprived of
> resources.
> The publishers count on extracting a toll from libraries.
> dt
>
> At 04:02 AM 11/11/2010, you wrote:
> >As a retired librarian it seems to me that everyone
> will be better off if
> >you have your way except the poor old libraries and
> librarians who need
> >money to keep their heads above
> water. Without us there wouldn't be any
> >books available or a decent place to read
> them. Why should people make
> >money out of doing an edition or even publishing a
> facsimile but the not the
> >people and organizations who
> >have made sure that these things are preserved in the
> first place?
> >
> >In any case even a facsimile is not a substitute for
> seeing the real thing.
> >
> >Monica
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message ----- From: "David Tayler"
> <[email protected]>
> >To: "lute-cs.dartmouth.edu" <[email protected]>
> >Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 9:33 PM
> >Subject: [LUTE] Re: More digital facsimiles from the
> (public) libraries?
> >
> >
> >>Although I understand all of the issues, including
> compensating ppl
> >>for their time, charging money for facsimiles is
> basically evil, and
> >>in the long run everyone will be better served by
> having more music
> >>available--more concerts, more audience, more
> work.
> >>What all libraries should do is just put it all
> online, and then if
> >>someone wants to make an edition and sell it, fine.
> Just make a PDF,
> >>and upload it, and I guarantee that everyone will
> benefit.
> >>This also prevents players from owning a repertory
> by limiting access.
> >>
> >>If scholars want to sell the commentary as a
> separate book, that is
> >>also fine, and continues an established tradition.
> >>dt
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>At 12:32 PM 11/10/2010, you wrote:
> >>> Still something that I don't
> get:
> >>>
> >>> why are some public (public)
> libraries slowly making all their MS
> >>> available as a digital download -
> and I'm thinking about the the
> >>> Bayerisch Staatsbibliothek here
> in Munich, between others -, while
> >>> there are other PUBLIC libraries
> (hello, British Library ...) - that
> >>> still do not even seem to
> envisage that ...
> >>>
> >>> Shall we (as single members of
> the list) put some pressure on our
> >>>local
> >>> libraries? Send an email to the
> curators of their music departments -
> >>> maybe as rightful, registered
> members of the library, as I guess some
> >>> of us are - and ask about it?
> >>> (Of course, this doesn't want to
> diminuish at all the value of such
> >>> pubblication as the Dd.2.11 by
> the Lute Society. The scholarship part
> >>> is something you dont get in a
> digital facsimile ...)
> >>> Your opinion, listers?
> >>> Matteo
> >>> On 10 November 2010 20:19, Denys
> Stephens
> >>> <[1][email protected]>
> wrote:
> >>> [...]
> >>>
> >>> It's also worth
> noting that whilst some
> >>> of
> >>> the world's libraries are
> making digital copies of their musical
> >>> sources
> >>> available, there is
> currently no expectation that this, or indeed
> >>> any of the
> >>> Cambridge University
> Library manuscripts will become available as
> >>> free
> >>> electronic downloads.
> >>> Denys
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>>
> >>>References
> >>>
> >>> 1. mailto:[email protected]
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>To get on or off this list see list information
> at
> >>>http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
> >>
>
>
>
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