Huawei to embed Bhagat’s books

Huawei will embed books from Indian author Chetan Bhagat in its MediaPad tablet, as a part of a deal under which Bhagat also becomes the company’s brand ambassador in India. Bhagat, who is expected to launch his new book The Revolution 2020 on October 7th, will be associated with the promoting the tablet, but Huawei tells the Economic Times that it will “consider the possibility of Chetan creating content for the brand, for instance, writing short stories that will be available for Huawei device users.”

For a books publishing industry still coming to grips with digital delivery of books, this does set a rather useful precedent, though one can’t be sure of whether such an offer will be open to other writers as well: Bhagat has mass appeal, and his books are positioned and priced to appeal to a readership that wants content that is easy and not high-brow. He is fairly active (and provocative) on Twitter, and has over half a million followers.

Full report here Medianama

Rare manuscripts of Ramanujan to be digitised

One of the most prized possessions of the old Madras University library — a set of three handwritten notebooks of mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan — will be digitised and given to a few other libraries to preserve them for posterity and make them accessible to more researchers.

Mathematicians from around the world have, till date, been visiting the Chepauk campus library to go through the treasure trove of formulae and equations written down by Ramanujan, who was a research scholar, sponsored by the Board of Studies in Mathematics, at the university.

Mathematicians believe that the three manuscripts and a fourth one acquired by Prof G A Andrews from a library in England make a full compilation of Ramanujan’s contribution to the field of mathematics.
Scholars of advanced mathematics rate the work, titled Manuscript Book of Srinivasa Ramanujan, as “contemporary mathematics”. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research created a facsimile edition of the book in 1957 and made two volumes of Ramanujan’s writings. The original manuscripts have also been laminated, though the writing has faded in some places.

Full report here Indian Express

Gujarat assembly library to be digitised

While the state government is making preparations to celebrate Gujarat's golden jubilee, the library of the Gujarat state assembly is also moving towards its new avatar.

The library will be digitised in the current financial year. On the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, Ashok Bhatt, speaker of the assembly, shared some details of the library."We are planning to digitise the library in the golden jubilee year of Gujarat. The library is unique, as unlike other state assemblies' libraries, we allow researchers and journalists to use the place for research purposes.

"It is a reference library for members of the legislative assembly, officers etc. It is quite different from other general libraries in the state. It has more documentary books, which include all the discussions since the inception of the Gujarat Assembly.

Full report here DNA

A new journey into the virtual world

Globalization and digitization are the two dominant trends that have changed the face of book publishing in the last decade. They are interlinked because of the rapid advance in communications and computer technologies. Now we learn that Google will make millions of digitized books from research libraries, hitherto not easily accessed, available to readers for a fee. These include out-of-copyright books (whose authors have died more than 50 years ago) as well as those recently published. Whether copyrighted books should be put online is still sub judice in the American courts, but if the issue is settled in favour of Google, the latter could become the largest library and book-selling business the world has ever known.

Some questions arise. Will large distributors accept digitized books at the expense of traditional printed books to make Google’s attempt a success? What are its implications for book publishers and authors? Would they stand to gain financially with digitized books that could replace the traditional print format or supplement it? Moreover, would readers get digitized books at lower prices, if you factor in the cost of the computer hardware/iPad and other hand-held devices that would be required to read the digital text and the fees that would need to be paid to the publisher for accessing it?

Full report here Telegraph

Publishing in India is a step in the dark

An expert in digital publishing who is spearheading Penguin’s e-book initiatives, he was in India to launch Shobhaa De Books, Penguin India’s new imprint for books related to lifestyle, the celebrity world, fashion, film and culture

What are your first thoughts on the iPad? Is it going to alter the e-book market further?
I haven’t used the iPad yet because it launched while I was here. I am waiting like a small child for it. But the Kindle and the iPad serve different purposes and they’re very good at what they do. The Kindle is aimed at very serious book readers; the iPad is a more versatile platform for books, video, audio and gaming. So I think the iPad will attract a younger audience. As long as we can sell through them, I don’t mind either.

Full interview here Mint

Penguin India in digital mode

Penguin is getting ready to launch digital content business in India. With 500 digital titles and counting, John Makinson, CEO of Penguin, is convinced that the publishing house will have a good run delivering books over mobile phones and e-readers.

“India remains a tough market to do business as book prices are low. Besides, pirated editions are already selling at traffic signals before we place our copies at the book stores,” Makinson says. Lack of physical distribution in Tier 2 and 3 cities has also hit business – reasons that are strong enough for Makinson to turn books into applications with “online communities” for fans, live chat between readers and other multimedia effects.

The publishing house is also getting ready to tweak its marketing strategy in India. “Penguin book launches will now have an aggressive digital marketing team,” says Makinson. Penguin aims to use social networking sites extensively.

“We will put out video interviews with authors on video streaming sites or release teasers of book on the web. For some book titles, we may create a website or have a Facebook page to promote the content,” says the CEO.

Full report here Business Standard

The end of books?

Electronic books, or “e-books” have been around for 40 years, without posing much of a threat to printed books.
But with the growing popularity of dedicated e-book readers like the Amazon Kindle, and the buzz surrounding Apple’s enigmatic iPad, one wonders if that will ensure e-books appeal amid Blackberry-hungry Indonesians, and thus the tragic death of the traditional publishing.
While all kinds of e-books are freely available via the Internet, official e-book content in Indonesia remains limited. That could change dramatically within the next two years, as Kompas-Gramedia, the country’s largest media conglomerate, is formulating its digital content strategy.
“We are developing Kompas Gramedia Digital. We are focusing on developing e-book content, not a gadget,” says Rio Eka Putra, head of IT & Research at Gramedia, adding they were open to creating content for both the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad.
Rio describes Gramedia’s approach as a “wait-and-see” one, as the technology is “so new”, and there remain many questions associated with widespread digital content, especially preventing piracy and getting authors on board.
“We are trying to explain to the writers about e-publishing, some still don’t understand what it is, what their rights are,” says Anastasia Mustika, fiction editor at PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Young adult author Andrei Aksana, who agrees to his content being digitized, says “e-books are the future of reading” due to convenience and environmental benefits.
“There are now around 30 million Internet users in Indonesia if I’m not mistaken ... and the numbers are growing very quickly, after India and China. So, e-books have enormous potential. E-books mean we can read any time, anywhere [with internet-ready devices] such as Blackberry, iPhone, although it’s a pity these [devices] are mostly only enjoyed by the middle class.”
Clara Ng, author of the MetroPop series and children’s story books, also accepts digitisation, as it would allow more to access her books.

Full report here The Jakarta Post

Opening a new chapter

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has said that for information-based industries to flourish in the State, it is essential to reform the higher education system.

He was speaking after inaugurating the renovated library of the University of Kerala at Palayam in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, March 12. In the budget, an amount of Rs 30 crore has been incorporated for the renovation works of the libraries in all the universities across the State. Only one phase of the renovations has been completed and more projects are in the pipeline for the libraries. They will be executed in the current financial year, he added.

The renovation work at Kerala University Library was started in 2007 under the initiative of Thomas Isaac with a fund of Rs 3 crore allotted by the State Government. The digitisation of the books on Kerala Studies is the key feature of the renovation. The Rs 44-lakh project includes scanning of around 6 lakh pages of over 1,500 books. They are stored in digital format which can be easily accessed by the researchers when needed.

Full report here Express Buzz

Google, Italian Culture Ministry sign book digitization pact

Google Books will digitize at least 1 million books that are not covered by copyright...

Google and the Italian Culture Ministry have signed an agreement for the digitization of books held in Italy's two main national libraries, the first such pact between the U.S. company and a national government, the two sides announced Wednesday.
"Google Books will digitize at least 1 million books that are not covered by copyright and that constitute our cultural heritage," Mario Resca, director general for development at the Culture Ministry, said at a press conference in Rome.
Delivering smarter, better products faster---with reduced cost and risk: Download nowWorks by authors such as Dante, Machiavelli, Petrarch, Leopardi and Manzoni, whose ideas helped to forge Western culture, will be included in the project, which will scan public domain books published prior to 1868, before modern copyright law came about.
The non-exclusive agreement would make books available immediately and free of charge to people around the world, both on the Google Internet platform and on platforms controlled by the participating Italian libraries, Resca said.
The project, which begins with the scanning of books held in the national libraries in Rome and Florence, is expected to stimulate interest in Italian culture and a love of reading, Resca said. Google will create a scanning center that will employ around 100 people and the project will result in a saving of some US$100 million for the Italian government, he said.
Nikesh Arora, Google's president for global sales operations and business development, said the project reflected the vision of Google's founders "to organize the world's information and make it available to everyone." The Italian project would help to counter the current Anglo-centric bias of the Internet, Arora added.

Full report here Networkworld.com

TERI and IGNOU organise international conference on digital libraries

Digital Libraries (DL) are increasingly playing a vital role in business, research and education and facilitating ‘anytime, anywhere access’ to knowledge resources. They are emerging as a crucial component of global information infrastructure and resources that bring the physical library and information resources to users in digital form.

This provides a common platform and enable interaction among all DL experts, researchers, academics and students; facilitates creation, adoption, implementation and utilization of DL’s and their future contribution towards shaping the information paradigm and also to enable developed and developing countries to bridge the digital divide through knowledge sharing.

The conference was inaugurated by HRD Minister, Government of India Kapil Sibal. Present at the ceremony were,  D Pundeshwari, State Minister for Education, Government of India, Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, Dr. Deanna Marcum, Library of Congress and Dr. V. N. Rajshekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor, IGNOU and other eminent dignitaries.

Full report here Financial Express

Sibal stresses on digitalisation of books

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Feb 23 stressed on digitalisation of books to help the reader access the material in a convenient manner and asked experts to evolve a policy to address the issues of copyright and creation of infrastructure for the purpose.

Inaugurating a three-day conference on 'Digital Libraries', he said that digitalisation of books will help a sizable section of readers get access to material. However, there is need for a policy to address the issue of standardisation and copyright, he said.

There should be a software to help the reader to access specific material in the digital world, Sibal said.

Full report here PTI