[10604] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: Announcing the Electronic Archive of Early American Fiction
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Karen Coyle)
Tue Sep 10 21:21:12 1996
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 19:42:15 -0500 (CDT)
From: Karen Coyle <kec@stubbs.ucop.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
David M. Seaman wrote:
>
> UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LIBRARY EXPLORES INTERNET FUTURE OF RARE BOOKS
> As part of the study, 582 first editions of the most important novels
> and short stories will be digitized and put on the World Wide Web.
OK, I'll stick my neck out on this one -
What's the point of viewing a first edition online? Screen resolution is
such that any physical details of the printing are lost. You can't view
paper quality or binding. If later editions contained the same content,
the online version will add little information to what's already
available from a current printing.
It does make sense to me to make archival materials available digitally -
these materials are unique and, in their hardcopy form, are only viewable
on site. Digitizing these greatly expands their audience.
-------------------------------------
Karen Coyle <kec@stubbs.ucop.edu>
University of California - Library Automation
http://www.dla.ucop.edu/~kec
