[A2k] print on demand books
Cheryl Brown
C.Brown@ids.ac.uk
Thu Jul 13 09:27:04 2006
As a young technology hybrid (don't know which I'd save in a fire, my treas=
ured book collection or my laptop), I confess, personally this project didi=
n't hold any immediate appeal to me.=0D
=0D
However, I am writing this in the midst of a conference for Southern Centra=
l and East African Librarians in Dar es Salaam and have two comments to mak=
e:=0D
=0D
1. surely any book is a snapshot of its time, and at $15 a time, a darn sig=
ht cheaper to get the next edition sooner than usual textbooks. Given the t=
imelag between submission of text to a publisher and publications going on =
sale, buying a wikipedia text gives a reader up to two years advantage on o=
ther readers.=0D
=0D
2. I'm currently in a country where the libraries are horrifically underfun=
ded and even having publications from 2000 onwards is considered a great ad=
vantage. Furthermore despite statistics on improving internet access, it's =
not realistic to expect people to use wikipedia in the same way those of us=
with broadband can.=0D
=0D
This reminds me of Webaroo which would be warmly welcomed in many developin=
g countries but slated by many in developed countries with adequate interne=
t access. Perhaps we should think of trying to offer as many formats and op=
portunities to access knowledge as possible to enable those in different, a=
nd sometimes changing, contexts to choose the most appropriate one for them=
.=0D
=0D
Best wishes=0D
=0D
Cheryl Brown=0D
Marketing Coordinator=0D
IDS Knowledge Services=0D
Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK=0D
www.ids.ac.uk/info/=0D
c.brown@ids.ac.uk=0D
=0D
=09-----Original Message-----=0D
=09From: a2k-admin@lists.essential.org on behalf of Manon Ress=0D
=09Sent: Thu 13/07/2006 13:27=0D
=09To: Gu=C3=A9don Jean-Claude=0D
=09Cc: a2k discuss list=0D
=09Subject: Re: RE : [A2k] print on demand books=0D
=0D
=0D
=0D
=09Last night, in a papyrophilic mania I was trying to "put together" a=0D
=09book (I could not resist, I admit) but some articles have already=0D
=09changed (of course) since I had read them and I did not include the=0D
=09new ones...you're of course right: the process cannot be fixed.=0D
=0D
=09Well, it is still very tempting for me to print whatever I want to=0D
=09read or re-read. And I think that many people are still like that=0D
=09(we're in a transition period, it might not be the case in a few=0D
=09years). Also, in some places teachers and students do not have easy=0D
=09access to computers or libraries and they might like the print on=0D
=09demand? I went to visit a (rich) school in Yaounde 2 years ago: the=0D
=092 teachers had 1 book for a class of 70 children and no access to any=0D
=09kind of teaching materials.=0D
=0D
=09So, print on demand: for one thing it is relatively cheap, at least=0D
=09for us in the North. As you know, course packs are over priced (over=0D
=09$100 for a compilation of some copryright laws for a copyright course=0D
=09at a US university recently) and should not be since the content is=0D
=09free and the production is basic, if not primitive (xerox). My own=0D
=09pediapress version ended up at $15 (I'll get it via snailmail in a=0D
=09few days). You can also "publish" or make the book available to=0D
=09others and if sold you can either make money or give it to the=0D
=09foundation (around $2 per book).=0D
=0D
=09I have a young French high school student staying with us this summer=0D
=09and he was disappointed not to be able to "make a book of articles"=0D
=09he contributed to while working on a science report this year (the=0D
=09pediapress does not seem to work with wikipedia.fr?). We both, the=0D
=09student and former teacher, saw many possible teaching and learning=0D
=09applications of this "print on demand". It is interesting to imagine=0D
=09some teachers/learners putting together their own textbook knowing of=0D
=09course that that would be only a (black and white) snapshot of=0D
=09knowledge.=0D
=0D
=09Manon=0D
=0D
=09On Jul 13, 2006, at 5:19 AM, Gu=C3=A9don Jean-Claude wrote:=0D
=0D
=09> This is a somewhat funny idea, obviously aimed at papyrophilic=0D
=09> individuals (to use Stevan Harnad's terminology of old).=0D
=09>=0D
=09> There is an interesting consequence to this offer: Wikipedia=0D
=09> evolves all the time. Each book will be like a snapshot slice of=0D
=09> the process.=0D
=09>=0D
=09> I say process because Wikipedia, in my opinion, is not a body of=0D
=09> texts conceived as objects; it is a body of texts conceived as an=0D
=09> attractor of people that keep on making it evolve. It is a hugely=0D
=09> accelerated process of creation that was first inaugurated by=0D
=09> scientific publishing in the 17th century. This, to me, appears to=0D
=09> be the truly revolutionary dimension of Wikipedia. It simply=0D
=09> materializes - a most problematic materialization, by the way,=0D
=09> since it relies on electronic bits - the conversations of thousands=0D
=09> of communities.=0D
=09>=0D
=09> Best,=0D
=09>=0D
=09> Jean-Claude=0D
=09>=0D
=09>=0D
=09> -------- Message d'origine--------=0D
=09> De: a2k-admin@lists.essential.org de la part de Manon Ress=0D
=09> Date: mer. 12/07/2006 17:59=0D
=09> =C3=80: a2k discuss list=0D
=09> Objet : [A2k] print on demand books=0D
=09>=0D
=09> Thanks to Achal for interesting pointer.=0D
=09> Check it out:=0D
=09>=0D
=09> http://pediapress.com/=0D
=09>=0D
=09> Individual books based on Wikipedia articles!=0D
=09>=0D
=09> PediaPress is a service that enables you to compile and order a book=
=0D
=09> with contents you pick from over a million Wikipedia articles. You=0D
=09> will then receive a unique, bound book with high quality, selected=0D
=09> articles!=0D
=09>=0D
=09> The goal of Wikipedia is to give every single person free access to=0D
=09> the sum of all human knowledge.=0D
=09> The goal of PediaPress is to make this knowledge available in a=0D
=09> printed form and promote the offline usage of Wikipedia articles.=0D
=09> FAST=0D
=09> build and order your encyclopedia in minutes=0D
=09>=0D
=09> * gather relevant articles in minutes=0D
=09> * preview and order your books with only a couple clicks=0D
=09> * your personal encyclopedia is printed and shipped within 2 days=
=0D
=09>=0D
=09> EASY=0D
=09> compiling a book with PediaPress is simple=0D
=09>=0D
=09> * PediaPress lets you quickly browse and search for Wikipedia=0D
=09> articles=0D
=09> * PediaPress suggests further articles based on what's in your=0D
=09> book=0D
=09>=0D
=09> INDIVIDUAL=0D
=09> unique, individual encyclopedias for a great price=0D
=09>=0D
=09> * you only pay for information you want in your book=0D
=09> * let others participate in your editorial talent by publishing=
=0D
=09> your book=0D
=09>=0D
=09>=0D
=09> ************************************************=0D
=09> Manon Anne Ress=0D
=09> manon.ress@cptech.org,=0D
=09> www.cptech.org=0D
=09>=0D
=09> Consumer Project on Technology=0D
=09> 1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA=0D
=09> Tel.: =C6=AF.202.332.2670, Ext 16 Fax: =C6=AF.202.332.2673=0D
=09>=0D
=09> Consumer Project on Technology=0D
=09> 1 Route des Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland=0D
=09> Tel: =E1=83=B5 22 791 6727=0D
=09>=0D
=09> Consumer Project on Technology=0D
=09> 24 Highbury Crescent, London, N5 1RX, UK=0D
=09> Tel: =E1=83=B8(0)207 226 6663 ex 252 Fax: =E1=83=B8(0)207 354 0607=0D
=09>=0D
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=09************************************************=0D
=09Manon Anne Ress=0D
=09manon.ress@cptech.org,=0D
=09www.cptech.org=0D
=0D
=09Consumer Project on Technology=0D
=091621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA=0D
=09Tel.: =C6=AF.202.332.2670, Ext 16 Fax: =C6=AF.202.332.2673=0D
=0D
=09Consumer Project on Technology=0D
=091 Route des Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland=0D
=09Tel: =E1=83=B5 22 791 6727=0D
=0D
=09Consumer Project on Technology=0D
=0924 Highbury Crescent, London, N5 1RX, UK=0D
=09Tel: =E1=83=B8(0)207 226 6663 ex 252 Fax: =E1=83=B8(0)207 354 0607=0D
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