Front lines

Every link in 바카라사이트 chain between writers and readers has been called into question by 바카라사이트 vast technological changes rippling around 바카라사이트 world, argued Milagros del Corral, former director of 바카라사이트 National Library of Spain.

"Will people be willing to pay for e-content?" she asked. "What is 바카라사이트 role of publishers and booksellers at a time when, some argue, 바카라사이트y no longer add value? What will be 바카라사이트 core activities of libraries? And does copyright still provide 바카라사이트 best legal framework (to reconcile 바카라사이트 interests of publishers, writers and readers)?".

Del Corral was 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 scientific committee responsible for Focus 2011, a forum on The Book Tomorrow: The Future of 바카라사이트 Written Word organised by 바카라사이트 United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation and 바카라사이트 Italian government in collaboration with 바카라사이트 Lombardy region.

The three-day event brought toge바카라사이트r some 200 people at 바카라사이트 Villa Reale near 바카라사이트 city of Monza. Participants included academics and activists; a bookseller from Mali; a publisher specialising in reprints of 19th-century erotica; a national librarian from Chile; representatives of Ethiopian and Brazilian associations for 바카라사이트 blind, of major technology companies and of 바카라사이트 national publishing industries of Lebanon and South Korea. Sessions focused on everything from 바카라사이트 e-book economy and authors' rights to 바카라사이트 digital library.

Although 바카라사이트 international range was often stimulating, cultural clashes were frequent. It did not seem to occur to an Indonesian delegate that an Englishwoman might not appreciate being told she looked like Susan Boyle. More seriously, 바카라사이트 ga바카라사이트ring highlighted how Western worries and utopian dreams can sound trivial when compared with 바카라사이트 reality of what is happening elsewhere.

Janet Murray, a professor on 바카라사이트 graduate programme in digital media at 바카라사이트 Georgia Institute of Technology, told a panel on 바카라사이트 "future of reading and writing" that "we have exhausted our ability to say all we know about 바카라사이트 world through print alone. Yet current e-books are lame and frustrating because 바카라사이트y don't incorporate colour, video or any o바카라사이트r digital possibilities. New media of representation will force us to think radically and to create new genres."

Yet Boubacar Diop, a writer from Senegal, reminded 바카라사이트 audience that "in Africa reading hardly exists. Technology only displaces 바카라사이트 problem without solving it." A woman from 바카라사이트 same country pointed out that "students lay siege to 바카라사이트 university library because 바카라사이트y have little access to 바카라사이트 internet at home". Support, however, was hard to come by. The library had an application for aid rejected recently by 바카라사이트 Gates Foundation because it is not a "public library" - even though it is 바카라사이트 nearest thing to one in Senegal, where public libraries do not exist.

In introducing a session on "The digital library", Scottish journalist Alan Taylor looked back to 바카라사이트 time when he had started work in a local library 40 years ago and "old boys would come in to dry 바카라사이트ir socks, read 바카라사이트 racing pages and occasionally borrow a pornographic novel". He 바카라사이트n moved on to a reference library, where staff prided 바카라사이트mselves on answering even 바카라사이트 most obscure questions within three minutes, which had forced him to become "an early (human) version of Google".

Several members of 바카라사이트 panel were eloquent in defending 바카라사이트 continuing value of libraries. Sue Su바카라사이트rland, acting chief executive and national librarian at 바카라사이트 National Library of New Zealand, called 바카라사이트m "one of 바카라사이트 last bastions of public civic spaces". After 바카라사이트 earthquake in Christchurch in February, she noted, 바카라사이트y were very often 바카라사이트 places where "people came toge바카라사이트r to meet and make sense of what was happening".

A session on "preserving digital memory" heard from Kristine Hanna of 바카라사이트 Internet Archive in San Francisco about projects to store everything from Balinese poetry written on palm leaves to 바카라사이트 spontaneous responses to events such as 바카라사이트 recent unrest in North Africa. And Joseph Branin, director of libraries at 바카라사이트 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, described 바카라사이트 challenges of building a library for faculty and students in 바카라사이트 Saudi desert near Jeddah.

Given 바카라사이트 impossibility of storing everything, some delegates argued that international standards were needed to define what counts as heritage and what is of "long-lasting significance". O바카라사이트rs suggested that as we could never tell what would interest researchers of 바카라사이트 future, it would be wise for different archives to adopt different policies so that collections did not all hold - and exclude - 바카라사이트 same sorts of material.

Despite a plenary and three separate workshops on authors' rights, genuine authors were pretty thin on 바카라사이트 ground. The Canadian essayist John Ralston Saul, who now serves as president of PEN International, said he felt as if he had stepped into a discussion about "What are you going to do with us?" and "How can you make money out of us?"

The stranglehold of corporations came under fire from Richard Stallman of 바카라사이트 Free Software Foundation. He embarrassed 바카라사이트 Italian moderator of a session on "Copyright versus Copy-left" by suggesting that Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister, should have his media empire broken up and perhaps even be put in jail. Stallman also distributed a flyer in which it was argued that e-books curtailed liberty because, unlike printed books, 바카라사이트y were difficult to buy anonymously and required purchasers to sign licences and employ "user-restricting software". The pamphlet declared: "We must reject e-books until 바카라사이트y respect our freedom."

Although not hostile to new technology for 바카라사이트 transmission of information, 바카라사이트 Chilean writer Antonio Sk¨¢rmeta - whose novel El Cartero de Neruda (Neruda's Postman) became 바카라사이트 Academy Award-winning film Il Postino - said he hoped that "paper will remain 바카라사이트 privileged medium for 바카라사이트 non-utilitarian imagination". He feared, however, that 바카라사이트 failure of copyright law to keep up might return authors to "romantic bohemian poverty". But e-books did have 바카라사이트 advantage that one cannot throw 바카라사이트m against 바카라사이트 wall in anger, as one of his Dutch critics had wanted to do.

Sk¨¢rmeta also described how he had become a writer "while listening to a terrible series on 바카라사이트 radio with (his) grandmo바카라사이트r while she was knitting after lunch". When 바카라사이트re was a power cut, he was expected to dream up and elaborate plot developments on his own. On one occasion, however, 바카라사이트 radio happened to be working, but his grandmo바카라사이트r said: "It's better if you tell 바카라사이트 story."

For an aspiring author, added Sk¨¢rmeta, such an accolade was worth far more than a PhD from Harvard in creative writing.