tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post6663070907198514907..comments2024-03-21T19:08:05.737-07:00Comments on Genealogy's Star: Locked behind University Walls -- The Database QuandryJames Tannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-53847105151253319302013-12-30T21:39:25.306-07:002013-12-30T21:39:25.306-07:00You make some interesting points. Thanks for the c...You make some interesting points. Thanks for the comment. But my point is not that the service exists, but that they are claiming copyright ownership of the public domain documents. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-27748829825066529742013-12-30T19:11:01.753-07:002013-12-30T19:11:01.753-07:00Many of the digital copies of books were originall...Many of the digital copies of books were originally micorform sets, which libraries purchased. Now most have turned around and purchased a digital version of the microform set. One example in the genealogy world is the old UMI (now ProQuest) set of Genealogies and Local Histories. People almost never use the microfilm anymore; they access the digital version through Heritage Quest -- assuming they have access to a library that pays to subscribe to HQ. Libraries aren't paying for or providing content through these subscriptions -- they have that in book or microfilm. They are paying for access; users can now readily identify, search and view the book in a matter of minutes, often from home. The providers of this access -- who microfilmed, scanned, OCR'd and set up readers for the books -- are charging for the service, not the book itself. And of course libraries are bound by the contracts these content providers require.<br /><br />On the other side of the coin, libraries are working together to get as much out of copyright material as possible scanned and made publicly and freely available. They have partnered with Google to do this, put material in the Hathi Trust, on Internet Archive and created their own digital collections. These results lack the ease of use provided by the subscription services, but there IS an effort to get as much out of copyright material as possible freely available to everyone. Barbara Snowhttp://genealogyetc.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-16410002481119408762013-12-30T13:54:33.295-07:002013-12-30T13:54:33.295-07:00This happens quite often. It also happens to regul...This happens quite often. It also happens to regular folks as well as Universities, too. Many of the "historical book sellers" on eBay are taking public domain books from Google, the Internet Archive, and other public domain sources and putting them up for sale as part of disks or printed copies. I can't tell you how many people that I've had to tell "Always, always, always check the public domain sources before BUYING anything." <br /><br />I actually tried contacting eBay and Google when I was taken by one of these sellers and both admitted that they can't do anything about it. I suspect the universities are in the same boat - they got taken by one of these sellers but can't do anything about this now.Crafting in Yoohoovillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.com