Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
E-books and scholarly communication
futures
Colin Steele
Given the absolute faculty of reading, the task of going through the
pages of a book must be, of all tasks, the most certainly within the grasp
of the man or woman who attempts it! Alas, no; - if the habit be not
there, of all tasks it is the most difficult. If a man have not acquired the
habit of reading till he be old, he shall sooner in his old age learn to
make shoes than learn the adequate use of a book. And worse again; -
under such circumstances the making of shoes shall be more pleasant to
him than the reading of a book. Let those who are not old, - who are
still young, ponder this well.
(Trollope, 1866)
Introduction: the impact of the digital revolution
It is a truth universally acknowledged that in the 21st century we are
witnessing a revolution in communication unparalleled since the
invention of the printing press in the 15th century. As in the 15th
century, however, there is a time lag between technical innovation and
the impact on society of changes in the distribution and publishing of
scholarly knowledge. Initially, the first printed pages of incunabula
replicated the physical layout of manuscripts, and in the same way
digital journals and books have remained influenced by historical print
and research assessment frameworks.
In the monastic scriptorium, the dissemination of knowledge was
limited by the productivity of the output of the scribes and by public
accessibility to appropriate libraries or personal collections. Books
