Open Library’s grand vision
Posted by Jacque on July 17th, 2007
A group of people at Internet Archive are developing Open Library, which is now accessible as a demonstration site. Their vision? A library on the Internet which holds every book on the planet. It would function as a public resource that “anyone in any country could access and that others could rework into different formats.”
Using donated catalog entries from every willing library and publisher — as well as every Internet user — it would link to places where the book could be borrowed, purchased, or downloaded. There would be reviews, references and discussions included where available.
But most importantly, the developers say,
Such a library must be fully open. Not simply “free to the people,” as the grand banner across the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh proclaims, but a product of the people: letting them create and curate its catalog, contribute to its content, participate in its governance, and have full, free access to its data. In an era where library data and Internet databases are being run by money-seeking companies behind closed doors, it’s more important than ever to be open.
In pursuit of its lofty goals, Open Library is opening up the demo, opening up the source code, opening up the mailing lists, and hoping you’ll join them in building it.
They explain how they view librarianship in this milieu, and have information on how libraries, and others, can participate in the project.
