Resource review #4 - Mass digitization leads to more books in print?

Rosen, J. (2009). Bookselling Heads To the Espresso Age. Publishers Weekly, 256(40), 3-4.

Badger, B. (2009, September 9). Books Digitized by Google Available via the Espresso Book Machine.
Retrieved from http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2009/09/books-digitized-by-google-available-via.html

(2008). U of Michigan Library Installs Espresso Book Machine. Advanced Technology Libraries, 37(11), 1, 10-11.

(2009). Espresso Book Machine. Retrieved from http://www.lib.umich.edu/espresso-book-machine

   In September, Google announced that it would partner with On Demand Books to make its two million + digitized public domain books available for printing on the Espresso Book Machine (EBM). The machine is "capable of making a 300-page perfect-bound book in five to seven minutes" and can print a yearly total of 60,000 books. According to Brandon Badger, a product manager at Google Books, "If sentient robots ever succeed in taking over the world, this is how they will print their books."
   When I originally came across this announcement at Inside Google Books, I thought it was just a neat bit of technology. According to Rosen's article, the implications are much larger. She cites one of the founders of On Demand Books as asserting that the machine's [relatively] low cost and the company's partnership with Google signal "the end of the Gutenberg age." The ability to quickly and inexpensively print books does have the potential to radically decentralize the publishing industry. Rosen's article explores the implications for small independent bookstores, and also alludes to possible library use. Dane Neller (cofounder and CEO of On Demand) suggests that "the Espresso machine enables local retailers to do everything a national behemoth like Amazon does." Additionally, Espresso machines can allow small bookstores to save space while offering a much larger inventory. Booksellers quoted in the article described plans to sell copies of classics, and in a university bookstore, to print copies of books authored by faculty members. Rosen also suggested that libraries may begin printing copies of digitized rare books.
    I  have some trouble imagining the use of the EBM in libraries. Would libraries be selling books to patrons, printing books to add to their collections, printing copies of digitized rare or fragile items? So far, the best example I can find is the University of Michigan library, which became the first university library to purchase an EBM in 2008. The library planned to sell copies of of books they had digitized for the Open Content Alliance, as well as items from their pre-1923 collection, for about $10 a book. U of M's dean of libraries, Paul Courant, stated "This is a significant moment in the history of book publishing and distribution. As a library, we're stepping beyond the limits of physical space. Now we can produce affordable printed copies of rare and hard-to-find books. It's a great step toward the democratization of information, getting information to readers when and where they need it." According to the library's website, U of M also expects to offer additional uses of the EBM: "Small runs of printed books produced by classes, such as anthologies of creative writing; printed copies of proceedings of University conferences and events; printing and binding course materials; self-publishing for Ann Arbor authors." This is potentially a large expansion of the library's role on campus, and I think it's illustrative of digitization's potential for expanding access to information, in digital form and paradoxically, in print as well.
   Possibly the most interesting point this article makes is that (at least in theory) the EBM gives booksellers an opportunity to offer readers a convenient print alternative to e-books. Many librarians worry that Google Books represents a serious challenge to the relevance of libraries as physical repositories for printed objects; however, this partnership can provide booksellers and librarians with an opportunity to inexpensively put more materials into print. The University of Michigan, an early and enthusiastic participant in mass digitization projects, suggests that the opportunity to return digitized materials to print provides necessary flexibility in format: "Rather than a one-size-fits-all solution, we believe that the best book format varies in relationship to its uses and its users. Some of the time, an electronic book -- that can be accessed any time, anywhere, and quickly searched -- is exactly what we need. At other times, the ideal form of the book is a nicely bound copy that helps with sustained reading, that serves as a physical reminder of a reading experience, or that can easily be passed from hand to hand." This lends further credence to the argument that the greatest justification for Google Books is the expansion of access to information. If the EBM becomes widely available (a big if, I suppose), users don't even have to have internet access to benefit from mass digitization. They just have to have $10.
   Finally, after looking at the DIY book scanner several weeks ago, I have to wonder how plausible it is that someone will cook up a DIY bookmaking machine. It seems like a pretty huge undertaking, but who knows! Then we'll  really democratize access.