i2010 Digital Libraries: DOA 2 NEW BUSINESS MODELS


The manner in which GOOGLE is successful suggests that there are new business models which we might utilize.

DOA 2 NEW BUSINESS MODELS
<quote>
What measures could be taken to promote private investments and new business-
models such as public-private partnerships for digitising and making historical
collections accessible?
</quote>

Case Study:
<quote>
Their impact on the economy at large is substantial. Information is the fuel of our economy,
with content industries totalling some 5% of Europe’s GDP2, and with ever more
organisations depending on the right information flows to take informed decisions.
A recent study found that the British Library generates some 534 million € worth of
value per annum, both in direct value to the library’s users (87M€) and the indirect
value to society (447M€). This is 4.4 times the annual government funding of 122
million €
.3 Digitisation of the content resources held by libraries, archives and museums and making
them available electronically could considerably increase their economic impact. This is for
example the case for scientific libraries. Access to information is essential for the progress of
science, since all inventions depend in one way or another on the achievements of the past.
Broad access to scientific material is a key factor to science and innovation and indirectly for
economic growth and employment.
</quote>
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT p.4

Whatever the business model we will have to use positive discrimination.
[ Unfortunately, the agricultural policy pertaining to the recent accession countries does not bode well for such a possibility. ]
For example, it seems inappropriate that Bulgarians in Bulgaria
should have to pay at the same rate as Others in the "Western" EU
for access to Bulgarian materials in the British Library.

Example:
CD of the Book of Kells (circa 800 CE), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
http://www.bookofkells.ie/book.html {2005-11-16}

Let us consider the current pricing of a CD:
<quote>
Special Edition: US$70 EUR70
Standard Edition: US$36.95 EUR29.95
</quote>
http://www.bookofkells.ie/order/default.asp {2005-11-16}

Considering the actual cost of a CD (or even DVD)
these prices are exorbitant.

There may be good reasons for the charges ...
But they do not promote EU cultural values ...

The funding regime is skewed for some reason ...
and in my opinion ... is scandalous!

Posted: Wed - November 16, 2005 at 11:16 a.m.          

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