Libraries will be a powerful force in the emerging world of electronic information … What happens to the publishing industry when publishers can reduce their risks by not printing any copies of all but the most popular journals on paper – but instead can wait for interested readers to print their own copies of the articles they want from (taxpayer-subsidized) library databases?
Predictor: Browning, John
Prediction, in context:In a 1993 article for Wired magazine, John Browning takes a look at the future of libraries in a networked age. He writes:”Libraries will be a powerful force in the emerging world of electronic information, so the debate merits time and attention. How, for example, might the cost and convenience of combining electronic clippings from libraries compare with customized electronic journals from publishers? What happens to the publishing industry when publishers can reduce their risks by not printing any copies of all but the most popular journals on paper – but instead can wait for interested readers to print their own copies of the articles they want from (taxpayer-subsidized) library databases? None of these changes will happen overnight.”
Biography:John Browning served as executive editor of Wired UK, the English-language European edition of Wired, the magazine established to chronicle the digital revolution. Prior to Wired, Browning spent 12 years at The Economist, writing about business, technology and economics. (Author/Editor/Journalist.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1993
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Libraries/Databases
Name of publication: Wired
Title, headline, chapter name: Libraries Without Walls for Books Without Pages: Electronic Libraries and the Information Economy
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.01/libraries_pr.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Stotler, Larry