Produced by Al Haines
Editions 00h00, Paris, 1999 & NEF, University of Toronto, 2001
Copyright © 1999 Marie Lebert
How does the world of the print media approach this new means of communicationthat is the Internet? How does the Internet take into account the various partsof the print media? A study written in March 1999 and based on many interviews.With many thanks to Laurie Chamberlain, who kindly edited this paper. The Frenchversion of this paper - De l'imprimé à Internet - is not a translation, but adifferent text. The original versions are available on the NEF, University ofToronto: http://www.etudes-francaises.net/entretiens/print.htm
1. Introduction
2. The Internet
3. On-Line Bookstores
4. Publishers on the Web
5. On-Line Press
6. Libraries on the Web
7. Digital Libraries
8. On-Line Catalogs
9. Perspectives
10. Index of Websites
11. Index of Names
The world of the print media is big: it includes everything related to books,periodicals and pictures. The world of the Internet is much bigger. It is thattremendous network which is leading to the upheaval of communications andworking methods we are hearing so much about.
Are these two worlds antagonistic or complementary? What is the influence of oneworld on the other, and vice versa? How does the world of the print media acceptthis tremendous means of communication which is the Internet? How does theInternet take into account this centuries-old tool which is the print media? Dothey work together? Do they compete? What is their common future? Will the worldof the Internet completely swallow up the world of the print media, or, to thecontrary, will the print media domesticate the Internet as an additional meansof communication?
We are not even aware yet of the many interconnections and transformations theInternet is going to bring if the Internet changes the world as much as writingor printing did in the past, as we are constantly being told it will.
What are the implications for all the professionals of the print media: authors,booksellers, journalists, librarians, printers, publishers, translators, etc.?How do they see the breaker which is beating down on them, and the storm thatthe Internet is bringing into their professional life? These are the questions Iwill try to answer in the following pages.
More and more publications have both an electronic version and a paper versionand, in some cases, both can be ordered on-line. Numerous texts are availableon-line in digital libraries. Many of these texts also have a paper version thecybernaut can buy if he prefers reading 500 pages lying on his sofa instead ofreading them on the screen of his computer. Some texts or magazines areavailable on-line only.
More and more newspapers and magazines have a website on which their readers canfind the full text or abstracts of the latest issue, archives giving access tothe previous issues, dossiers on various topics, etc. More and more librarycatalogs are available on-line. And most sites offer hyperlinks to otherwebsites or documents on related subjects. In short, the Internet has become anessential tool for getting infor