[InetBib] European Digital Library und Google

[delin@xxxxxx (Delin, Peter)]

zur allgemeinen Information aus AMIA-L nach International Herald Tribune 
von gestern.
Peter Delin

[AMIA-L] European libraries and film archives talking with Google
http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=8079170

excerpts:

International Herald Tribune
European libraries face problems in digitalizing
By Doreen Carvajal
Sunday, October 28, 2007

PARIS: In the early stages of its planning, the European Digital Library 
held the promise of a counterstrike to Google domination of digital 
archives through the search engine's vast book search project and 
powerful alliances with American universities.

But as the European project prepares for its debut early next year, the 
80 museums, film institutes and national libraries involved are facing 
the reality of limited government funding for the enormous task of 
digitizing material, and they are now developing a new realism about 
striking a variety of alliances with private companies, including 
national deals with Google.

"The basic problem is that there isn't enough money to digitize 
everything we want to," said Stephen Bury, head of European and American 
collections at the British national library, which is digitizing 100,000 
out-of-print books from the 19th century with its partner, Microsoft.

"We're aware that there are some downsides to it because the commercial 
companies are obviously in it either for shareholder profit or doing it 
to get a public feel-good factor. We're aware and we're not going to be 
caught out."

The European Commission has contributed about ¤60 million, or $85 
million, to develop a digital library system that can be shared by a 
wide number of national libraries and cultural institutions. But it is 
not financing basic digitization, which the commission estimated would 
cost ¤250 million over four years. Some major libraries are still 
pressing for more public financing, but European officials are clearly 
encouraging private alliances.

<snip>

Claudia Dillmann, the director of the German Film Institute, which is a 
member of the European Digital Library project, said that her 
organization was already talking to Google and pondering new ways of 
charging fees for copyrighted material, like allowing low-resolution 
viewing of some films and then charging for better-quality resolution.

"If it's useful, I would always be in favor of that," she said. "Each 
partner in the project has to decide for itself. Of course, we are 
talking about them helping with digitization, although we haven't 
decided to do so. But I would never think about not talking with Google."

<snip>
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590622, San Francisco, Calif. 94159-0622 USA footage@xxxxxxxxx Prelinger 
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Collections http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger_library