Print-on-demand books boosted in partnership
Emory is launching a new model for digital scholarship through a partnership with Kirtas Technologies Inc., a maker of cutting-edge digital scanning technology. The partnership will enable Emory to apply automated scanning technology to thousands of rare, out-of-print books in its research collections, making it possible for scholars to browse the pages of these books on the Internet or order bound, printed copies via a fast, affordable print-on-demand service. The project is limited to materials in the public domain.
Amazon will handle the PoD aspects of this project. The project is not a part of the Google digitalization project, but rather represents a stand-alone effort. I think this is a better idea than letting Google do it. Certainly the text will be indexed by Google, but the project remains under the control of the University. This aspect makes it a scholarly project with roots in archiving and education, not a a quasi-commercial operation that is really rooted in drawing ad dollars. I hope more universities step up and take these projects in house.
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