Open Library

Internet Archive's digital library has been found in breach of copyright. The decision has some important implications

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Association of American Publishers, Society of Authors, University, Meta, Disability studies, Internet, Ebook, Open, History of the World Wide Web, Wiley (publisher), COVID-19, Open Library, State of emergency, Data mining, CEO, Internet Archive, University of South Australia Students Association, Sale, Wayback Machine, Publication, Association, Income, Comment, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Library, Book, National Library Service of Kenya, Information management, Australian Society of Authors, Publishing, Music, Gough Whitlam, Hachette

The Internet Archive was founded in 1996 as a non-profit digital library, aiming to provide “universal access to all knowledge”.

Key Points: 
  • The Internet Archive was founded in 1996 as a non-profit digital library, aiming to provide “universal access to all knowledge”.
  • It started with a project to preserve the World Wide Web.
  • Since 2006, it has also provided a web archiving subscription service to institutions and individuals, allowing them to create digital archives and preserve collections of digital content.

Copyright issues

    • The lending of books that are out of copyright is not controversial, but Internet Archive’s distribution of copyrighted works is problematic.
    • Only one person can borrow any given copy at a time for a limited period.
    • Facilitating access to books in this manner without permission from, or payment to, publishers or authors has been condemned as a “flagrant violation of copyright and authors’ rights”.

Legal implications

    • The Southern District of New York court issued its final order in Hachette v. Internet Archive on March 24, 2023.
    • The consent judgement of August 11 has banned the Open Library from scanning or distributing commercially available books in digital formats.
    • This decision leaves a concerning gap: it does not apply to physical books that are not currently available digitally.
    • For example, authors of out-of-print works may choose to later publish their work in an ebook format and monetise that edition.

Consequences

    • Other libraries in Canada and the US have adopted the practice as an alternative to far more expensive and restrictive ebook licensing.
    • Though the Internet Archive is based in the US, its activities have an effect on the earnings of authors in Australia.
    • In contrast to Canada and the US, controlled digital lending is, in general, not allowed in Australia.
    • If we want authors to survive, we’ve got to stop assuming that authors’ intellectual labour is a public commodity.

The Open Library Foundation Names First Open Source Project to its Project Incubation Program

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Communication Studies (Community), Library, Software, Open Library, Program, Technology, Foundation, Nunavut Public Library Services, Goal, Accounting, LDP, Book, Creative industries

PHILADELPHIA, Feb.8, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --The Open Library Foundation has invited the Library Data Platform (LDP) to be the first open source project to participate in its Project Incubation Program.

Key Points: 
  • PHILADELPHIA, Feb.8, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --The Open Library Foundation has invited the Library Data Platform (LDP) to be the first open source project to participate in its Project Incubation Program.
  • The Incubator Program aligns with the Open Library Foundation's mission to foster, connect and support open source projects in the library space internationally.
  • The Project Incubation Program allows the Foundation to support projects that are developing technology of interest that fits with the Open Library Foundation community, and that have the promise of becoming self-sustaining, fully fledged, mature and vibrant open source projects.
  • Tom Cramer from the Open Library Foundation says as the incubator program grows, it gives the Open Library Foundation the opportunity to expand.

Infobase Celebrates 80 Years Serving Educators and Lifelong Learners

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Articles, Education, Infobase Publishing, Lifelong learning, Educational technology, Librarian, NFO, Open Library

To kick off the celebration, Infobase will provide trial access to many of its proprietary and curated educational resources for one month.

Key Points: 
  • To kick off the celebration, Infobase will provide trial access to many of its proprietary and curated educational resources for one month.
  • The company boasts 33,000 customers and 160 million users accessing its platforms globally and consuming 500,000 videos and 1.7 million article assets.
  • Enabled by such well-known brands as Facts On File, Learn360, Credo, The Mailbox, Films Media Group, Bloom's, Ferguson's, Vault, and the Infobase Learning Cloud, Infobase provides students, educators, librarians, and parents with the broad range of solutions they need to inspire, enable, and inform lifelong learners.
  • For 80 years, Infobase has been a reliable, authoritative resource providing flexible options for accessing educational content whether in school, at the library, or at home.