New APS Member Survey

Hi rogdcam,




Just some comments is all...

Pulling together scattered material... but isn't that just the way of research? It would be impossible, I think, for any one online resource to aggregate every possible source of information a collector/researcher might want. Speaking just from my experience, sometimes the answers to my philatelic questions are found outside the literature. Way outside.

Also, digitizing everything isn't possible (copyright) or even viable (I don't know of any researcher who can survive a research effort viewing source material exclusively on a screen). So books and paper will always have their place.

I've found the APRL to be one of the most valuable (if not endearing) reasons to be an APS member. Their research staff is incredibly helpful and communicative. If I need something, it takes no more than a matter of days (sometimes just one) to get an email with scans of the pages I'm looking for.

So while the APRL has its godsend qualities for me, I will say, however, that the search engine for the David Straight Union Catalog could use some major improvements and a bunch of minor ones. I'll spare you all my 'punch list' for now. But warts and all, it's still a profoundly useful resource.

Cheers!

In my opinion, the digitization at the APRL for the last few years has been painfully slow. I know of some projects that sat idle for years. I do believe that they added more resources in 2022 so that might help moving forward.
I agree with the statement that their interpretations of copyright regulations and laws creates delays and exclusions; they are a renowned library and have to trend carefully in this regard. I assume that have limited resources to chase copyrighted material ownership down to get permissions and I doubt they have the extra resources to seek legal input on gray area content. At this point I think they have plenty of 'low hanging fruit' they can digitize without mucking around in the more difficult jobs.
Don

Maybe I am obtuse, but in regard to copyright laws I fail to see how digitizing something and making it available to paying members is different than offering them a scan of some pages or an entire book on request except that it is a whole lot easier on both ends once the digitization work is done.

The main point I made seems to have been missed, however. Having the APRL materials searchable and accessible online does away with a lot of the
aspect. It just makes no sense to have a 1970's approach in 2022.

When I posted, with my comments, I wasn't aware you were referring specifically to APRL-(owned?) items. Nevertheless, I guess it all depends on what you're researching. Maybe it's just the nature of the topics I choose to write about, but I've always found it necessary to draw from multiple repositories of information, hence "isn't that just the way of research." But YMMV.

As far as I'm aware, that the APRL is a lending library allows for the distribution of copyrighted material in its original form and does not violate copyright laws. But I've never thought about whether the APRL can legally provide scans or photocopies of non-public domain works. I dunno, maybe there's a certain degree of "fair use" that allows for that. Dunno.

To me, the library concept is an interesting loophole in regards to copyrights.

You get a different perspective when you put blood, sweat, and tears to author a work and get paid a modest royalty for each copy sold. Every pirated copy deprives the creator of rightful income.

Yes, there are legitimate educational and library uses, but not to digitize entire works and post them to the internet without the author's permission.

Let's try this again.

I said:




I am struggling to understand how reading an electronic book or other work that is from a library of which you are a member is different from reading the hard copy other than the process being infinitely more efficient.

A member's "paid" status makes no difference. Libraries are not going to digitize entire copyrighted works and make them available as ebooks.

Believe the APRL has a page limit re copyrighted material.

Agree with essay proof's comments re library staff and responsiveness. Access to the APRL collection (and staff assistance) is alone worth the annual APS dues.

Then you better inform the APS John because that is what they have been doing and are doing now.

My only beef is the pace at which they are doing it.

I have no direct knowledge of any bulk scanning without having obtained permission of the copyright owners or publications which are not already in the public domain because of their age or other factors. If you have such knowledge you have an obligation to contact the APRL.To have knowledge as you claim and to fail to do so is a disservice to the copyright owners and to the APRL (not the APS, there is a difference).

I'm going to workout. This is becoming

Too hard to take the high road?

No, it is because it gets so tiresome arguing over non-issues. It is disagreement just for the sake of disagreement. The APRL has the Robert A. Mason Digital Library and if you have read the threads where Scott English has contributed you would be aware that digitizing the library is a priority and is well underway. The progress updates are always informative. The APS has hired additional staff for the effort.

The comment
is something that I don't even know how to process. What does it mean?

The effort is under way. My only wish is that it was speedier.

Am I missing something John?

Anybody else?

In a regular library, the number of simultaneous readers is limited by the number of printed copies they have. For example, if a library purchased an e-edition of the Scott catalogs I wonder if they allow simultaneous access at one time unless was a special license.