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Richard K. Johnson: Free our libraries!http://www.blc.org/news/BLC_summit_white_paper_9-29-08.pdfExcerpts:The problem of commercial control is illustrated by the plight of public domain works.These works belong to the public. They are, by intention, not copyright protected andmay be used by anyone for any purpose without asking permission. The public domain isa rich resource and an essential foundation for the Internet public library. It includescenturies of great literature and is a chronicle of civilization and learning.Before the Internet, there was little argument over what people could do with publicdomain works. They could do anything. But technology makes it possible to impose newtechnical and contractual protections that can be applied willy-nilly to in-copyright andpublic domain works alike. The lawyers and economists call this the “enclosure” of thepublic domain and it looms large as the future of the Internet public library plays out.FREE OUR LIBRARIES Page 2 of 4For example, companies that are scanning library collections have required users to gainonline access to books solely via proprietary search engines. They also have prohibitedusers from employing third-party computing tools such as screen readers for the visuallyimpaired or scholarly text analysis tools. In effect, they are securing and enforcing amonopoly on the digital texts of works that are in the public domain. Of course, otherbusinesses might also scan a library’s collections, but this is a substantial undertakingand, as a practical matter, isn’t apt to happen anytime soon. [...]The Internet has given us a glimpse of what universal online access to library collectionscould mean to people from all walks of life—how it could advance education, strengtheneconomies, and improve lives. But if copyright exemptions and other public interests getpushed aside, that breathtaking potential will never be realized.No matter how hard they try, libraries and businesses may never find a suitable middleground where shareholders and the public interest are both winners in the commercialdigitization of library collections. We may awaken one day to find our digital heritagehas become private property instead of a public good.To prevent that risk, we need new funding strategies, coordinated library action, andforward-looking principles to guide us. It’s time to sort out the right roles andresponsibilities for companies, libraries, governments, and private funders and to getabout the work of building an Internet public library that puts the public first.See also:http://blog.bpl.org/brls/?p=141