A New Era in Publishing

For the last 500 years, publishers have relied on paper to distribute information. Now their readers are going online for their morning news, movie schedules, and restaurant reviews. It’s no surprise that publishing is going through seismic changes that affect how content is created, produced, distributed, discovered, and sold.

How I accessed this very article is a case in point: wanting to not just read it on paper, I entered a Google search term: netconnect judy luther, and clicked on the second hit (http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6547057.html).

The convenience of anywhere, anytime access to information is driving the rapid conversion of print content onto the web. Over the last decade, there has been a progressive migration of content beginning with indexes and reference tools, journals and their back files, and now books propelled by investments from Google and Microsoft. Readers also have the option of hearing an audiobook, listening to music, or watching videos.