Peter Brantley has written an inspired post on what’s really wrong with the Google Settlement: it lacks imagination.

An excerpt (but read the whole thing):

The settlement describes a world of time past, not a world of possibilities. … Let us imagine an alternative world where children routinely carry Alexandria in their hands. Where they experience works of literature as games, pushing at the borders of their knowledge and experience by engaging the library with others as a festschrift…. Let us say: we want our citizens to remake these books. We shall allow unceasing access to all books within our libraries; there shall be no barriers between them. (more…)

Marjorie Kehe at the Christian Science Monitor reminds us of the importance of libraries, especially in tough times.

The Library Journal reports that 11 branches of the Philadelphia public library system will be closed because of financial hardship.  This is the latest painful signal of change in the library community, and bodes ill for continued broad public access to library materials.  We see a potential role for the Open Content Alliance to step into this gap by sharing its diverse collections through loaning of digital books and free, unrestricted access of materials that are out of copyright. (more…)