It seems you can’t throw a rock lately without someone or the other discussing their upcoming e-book and e-reader strategies, and now even the Internet Archive is jumping into the fray.

The Internet Archive (IA) was founded by Brewster Kahle in 1996, and ever since its inception it has attempted to be a library of collections for the digital age.  Possibly best known for its Wayback Machine, a collection of Web site archives taken over the history of a site, the IA also houses an enormous set of public domain music, videos and books.

According to CNET, the IA is about to change its strategy somewhat in regards to books, and is going to attempt to launch the largest indexed archive of published works to be seen on the Internet yet.  Called BookServer, the new service is open to everyone from libraries wishing to put their collections online in a searchable format, publishers who wish to distribute works and to authors who want to promote themselves.

The BookServer site lists the benefits for every type of person involved with a book:

Authors find wider distribution for their work.
Publishers both big and small can distribute books directly to readers.
Book sellers find new and larger audiences for their products.
Device makers can offer access to millions of books instantly.
Libraries can continue to loan books in the way that patrons expect.
Readers get universal access to all knowledge.

With the announcement last week of the Google Editions project, it is obvious the landscape for e-books is radically changing.  While Amazon has had a death grip on the industry since its early introduction of the Kindle, that grip is now loosening as Google’s sire and BookSearch will both allow publishers to set their own prices, something Amazon has not allowed them to do.  Also, new e-readers, such as Barnes & Noble’s upcoming nook, will be able to access hundreds of thousands of books for free the moment its released, meaning that unless someone is dying for the newest releases, there may not be much reason to buy digital books to entertain yourself.

There is no denying that the e-book industry is in its infancy, but considering the weight being thrown behind it on a daily basis, it certainly looks as though it’s here to stay.

Related:

Entry was posted on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 2:43 pm under Technology.

Read more entries by Sean P. Aune.
Stumble It!