5 ms·

> justification for expanding controlled digital lending was around COVID-19, not rights for people who have low vision. -- My memory tells me it was both. Wit

by mgr86 6y ago

> justification for expanding controlled digital lending was around COVID-19, not rights for people who have low vision. -- My memory tells me it was both. With libraries closed they were not able to provide adequate access to those with disabilities.

jjcon 6y ago
Again nearly all library systems already have a digital lending system in place
- DominikD 6y ago
  Having system in place (90% of libraries do) doesn't mean all or even most of the books they have physical copies of are available in digital form. The question isn't whether libraries can lend digital books but if they are able to lend the same ones IA did. Just because 90% of people are capable of running doesn't mean that they can run as fast as Usain Bolt.
- mcguire 6y ago
  Here is a searchable collection of the books available to libraries from Rakuten Overdrive, the most popular digital lending system in the US (IIUC). https://www.overdrive.com/explore https://www.overdrive.com/explore If you search for Charles Ross' Edward IV (https://archive.org/details/edwardiv00ross https://archive.org/details/edwardiv00ross), you find: https://www.overdrive.com/media/3099728/edward-iv https://www.overdrive.com/media/3099728/edward-iv which lets you find if your library has a copy or to find a library that does. It's a trick. "There are no libraries with this title available that match your search criteria [my search criteria was 'all libraries']." How about Sailors and Scholars: The centennial history of the U.S. Naval War College (https://archive.org/details/sailorsscholarsc00hatt https://archive.org/details/sailorsscholarsc00hatt)? It's not available from OverDrive. But then it's been donated to the IA and is freely available. But I'll bet the publishers want it deleted anyway. Or Introduction to Information Retrieval? I would advise trying to borrow it as it's probably very out of date, but still kind of interesting. OverDrive lists it (https://www.overdrive.com/media/179471/introduction-to-information-retrieval https://www.overdrive.com/media/179471/introduction-to-infor...), but no libraries have it. Neither does the IA. Maybe I should scan and donate my copy.

by mgr86 6y ago

jjcon 6y ago

Again nearly all library systems already have a digital lending system in place

DominikD 6y ago
Having system in place (90% of libraries do) doesn't mean all or even most of the books they have physical copies of are available in digital form. The question isn't whether libraries can lend digital books but if they are able to lend the same ones IA did. Just because 90% of people are capable of running doesn't mean that they can run as fast as Usain Bolt.
mcguire 6y ago
Here is a searchable collection of the books available to libraries from Rakuten Overdrive, the most popular digital lending system in the US (IIUC). https://www.overdrive.com/explore https://www.overdrive.com/explore If you search for Charles Ross' Edward IV (https://archive.org/details/edwardiv00ross https://archive.org/details/edwardiv00ross), you find: https://www.overdrive.com/media/3099728/edward-iv https://www.overdrive.com/media/3099728/edward-iv which lets you find if your library has a copy or to find a library that does. It's a trick. "There are no libraries with this title available that match your search criteria [my search criteria was 'all libraries']." How about Sailors and Scholars: The centennial history of the U.S. Naval War College (https://archive.org/details/sailorsscholarsc00hatt https://archive.org/details/sailorsscholarsc00hatt)? It's not available from OverDrive. But then it's been donated to the IA and is freely available. But I'll bet the publishers want it deleted anyway. Or Introduction to Information Retrieval? I would advise trying to borrow it as it's probably very out of date, but still kind of interesting. OverDrive lists it (https://www.overdrive.com/media/179471/introduction-to-information-retrieval https://www.overdrive.com/media/179471/introduction-to-infor...), but no libraries have it. Neither does the IA. Maybe I should scan and donate my copy.