Problem is that we are not allowed to work on such projects as of now till the ammendments in the copy right law are finalised.
Thanks Dipendra -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Viraj Kafle Sent: 28 September 2006 17:26 To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in Subject: [AI] Patrons at 30 libraries statewide will soon be able todownload books Hi all, Just curious whether we in India have a system like the one mentioned in the article below, or any institution for the visually challenged in India is planning for such projects. Regards http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Patrons+at+30+libraries+sta tewide+will+soon+be+able+to+download+books&articleId=307df756-1b18-4332-935e -cd12d1c2d2e6 Patrons at 30 libraries statewide will soon be able to download books By MARK HAYWARD Union Leader Staff Friday, Sep. 8, 2006 Twenty New Hampshire libraries made more than 800 audiobooks available through their Web sites this week, putting everything from Nora Roberts page-turners to Barbara Ehrenreich's latest observations on the American workplace a few mouse clicks away for library patrons. Under the system, cardholders from the 20 libraries are able to download books to a personal computer. Depending on the digital licensing rules governing each book, they may then be able to move the audio file to a portable MP3 player or burn a CD. "It's the thing of the future, being able to download," said Joanne Barrett, chairman of the Manchester Library Board of Trustees. Many libraries, such as the Manchester library, have included audiobooks in their collection for years. The expansion to downloadable audiobooks was made possible by a year-long effort involving the New Hampshire State Library and local libraries across New Hampshire. The 20 libraries -- many situated in larger communities such as Nashua, Salem, Portsmouth, Merrimack and Keene -- are the first wave of libraries to join New Hampshire Downloadable Audio Books. Another 10, including Concord and Laconia, will be added by the first week of October, said State Librarian Michael York. The state library provided $23,000 for start-up costs, $12,000 in annual fees and $35,000 to make an initial purchase of audiobooks, York said. Libraries that sign on pay an annual fee of $1,000 or $500, depending on the size of their community. York expects that 20 percent of library users will take advantage of the downloads. "People are moving in that direction," York said of audiobooks. "Who watches movies on videocassette anymore? This is the next generation. It's a lot easier to deal with this." About 3,000 libraries across the country already make audiobooks available via download, said Amy Dankowski, a member of the partner-services team at OverDrive Inc., a privately held, Cleveland-based company that provides the digital content technology used by libraries to download books. OverDrive also provides audiobooks, e-books, music CDs and video for library downloads, Dankowski said. About 10 libraries across the country offer all four media. Denver was the first to do so, she said. York said New Hampshire will eventually make music CDs available, depending on how quickly OverDrive signs licensing deals with music publishers. He was less certain of videos, questioning whether viewers would want to watch a movie on a small computer screen. He said e-books are not successful in public libraries. Despite the high technology, several characteristics of the library remain intact for the cyberspace book borrowing. Even when downloaded, most audiobooks will be on loan for 14 days. During that period, another listener who wants to download it will have to wait until the "lending period" expires. (Fifty classics -- such as "Moby Dick" and "Anna Karenina" -- are always available.) The libraries and OverDrive expect patrons not to listen to an audiobook after the lending period expires, but they acknowledge it's difficult to prevent that from happening. The OverDrive Media Console software -- what Dankowski described as "a Windows Media Player on steroids" -- is downloaded with the audiobook. The OverDrive console will block a personal computer from playing the file once the lending period expires. OverDrive will also prevent a computer from copying the file to an MP3 player or CD if prohibited by the publisher. But most books can be transferred to an MP3 player, and once there, it becomes difficult to control the digital rights, Dankowski acknowledged. Part of the libraries' agreement with OverDrive is to live up to the terms of the licensing and not assist anyone in the violation of copyright laws, York said. So libraries will try to let listeners know copyright laws, just as they do when they put warnings on copy machines. "We expect people will abide by this (the download terms), but we can't govern it," York said. The audiobooks will not work on iPods, which do not support copyright protected Windows Media audio and video files. At present, New Hampshire Downloadable Audio Books has 862 titles available, which are equally divided between fiction and non-fiction, York said. The price of the books ranges from $75 for a blockbuster bestseller to $25 for a classic. York said the collection reflects what a reader would find in any public library. The 20 libraries are in the cities of Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Dover and Keene, and the towns of Amherst, Atkinson, Bedford, Bow, Conway, Derry, Goffstown, Hanover, Henniker, Hollis, Hooksett, Merrimack, Milford, Salem and Windham. To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
