Hi, my name is Patty. I am a recovering proofreader. I am a recovering publishing company employee. I am a recovering librarian.
Engaging in productive pursuits after exiting the paid work-world is vital. Not altruistic. Essential.
Volunteering. Applying my gifts to the needs of other individuals, and organizations. Essential.
Today, I found mention of Project Gutenberg.
Gutenberg? Yes. Gutenberg--Johannes Gutenberg--the inventor of the first printing press in 1440. Project Gutenberg? In 1971, Michael D. Hart was inspired to found Project Gutenberg. The intent? Digitize the printed word--digitize books.
Publishers, librarians, and authors have grave concerns regarding this trend. Lack of revenue. Loss of the experience of holding a book. The love of turning the pages. Preserving the intellectual property of authors, who create the words we read, in whatever form those words may be. My academic background is in library and information science. For 24 years, I worked in a publishing company. I have worked in a variety of libraries over thirty years. I know authors. I have known others. I have deep respect for the craft of writing. I dabble in the art of writing myself. I revel in its celebration of words.
Yet, I would like to offer a different perspective.
The architecture of the Internet is a tremendous gem. The electronic structure that we call the Internet was developed in the late 1960s. The World Wide Web, on the other hand, was developed by Tim Berners-Lee, and his colleagues, in 1989. The World Wide Web is a life line to many individuals.
Most people can hop in a car, or walk to the nearest bookstore or library. Yet, other individuals, for a variety of reasons, are not so capable. Will is not the issue. Unchangeable, unavoidable, life realities are the issues that rob--that can hijack--an individual's capability to roam the roads, or browse the open stacks.
The Internet. I support the foundation of the Internet. The World Wide Web. I surf the Information Superhighway. Project Gutenberg. I will explore that endeavor.
Authors. Librarians. Publishers. Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com--I will continue to support you. Fear not. I will continue to support you.
Osteoarthritis. Cerebral palsy. Recovering proofreader. Recovering proofreader. Recovering librarian. These simple realities lead me to an opportunity--proofreading printed works that are in the public domain. Abetting a large digitizer of free e-books. That is the crime to which I confess.
May the debate over e-books be broadened to include those individuals, whose horizons may be expanded by access to information that well may be beyond their reach otherwise.
Project Gutenberg.
