[Sca-cooks] The Epulario / book-oids from poor microfilm files?

[emilio szabo]

Johnnae, many thanks for the new input. I appreciate it. Please don't be/get 
angry with me in case 

my view differs in some minor aspects from yours in this respect.


<< Can one imagine Longleat allowing the 1500 Pynson to be rescanned and put up 
online for free? >>

This is a special case. This is not a public library. The microfilm from this 
copy is certainly one of the most lousiest in the EEBO collection.

And: there are certainly private owners of valuable manuscripts who make their 
manuscripts available.

It is a question of how someone thinks about her/his relation to the "bien 
public", to "cultural heritage", to her/his role in 

ancestorship, etc. 

<< Their new edition is due out. >>

I look forward to it!


<< Folger and the Huntington require  
academic credentials and references in order to cross their doorways  
and look at their materials. They have no incentive in making their  
materials freely available. >>


Are these public libraries? I remember that one of the European libraries, that
is now at the forefront of digitalization, the Bavarian State Library (Munich),
was once very reluctant to provide pdf downloads.

The Wellcome Library, which would have all reason to be reluctant and elitist, 
provides an interesting digitisation program. 

The National Library of France, where you need the same kind of credentials in 
order
to use their material in place, provides the huge gallica.bnf.fr site.

There are programs of this sort all around, you name it.

Libraries that "have no incentive in making their materials freely available" 
will play no role 

in the information infrastructure of the years to come.

(And they will learn their lesson, I assume.)


<< Folger is selling a limited edition of one  
of their Commonplace Books right now for $750.00. Place it online for  
free; surely you are joking. >>

One thing is producing a high price facsimile edition. I have no problem with 
that.
And I have bought facsimile editions I could afford.
The other thing is providing open access for the things that are owned by a 
commonwealth and the public libraries of this commonwealth in an age, where 
the technique of facsimilation is not the only technique to make things 
available.


<< The question is who pays for the bricks  
mortar and staffing if everything is online. >>


Is there a library that pays for the bricks, mortar and staffing by publishing
facsimile editions?

Most of the libraries I know of are paid by public funds provided by tax payers.

I am not sure if buying the Epulario via Amazon will provide one library 
with more money.


<< For all those who have cursed and lamented and screamed that they  
don't have EEBO or access to the microfilms, well here's another  
option folks. Spending $14.00 to buy the Epulario makes it so, so  
easy! (...)
Get on Amazon -- Spend the money and it arrives in a couple days.
Easy! >>


You are right! I won't lament any more. In the current situation, the option is 
good.


Nevertheless, I look forward to a still better future.

E.