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Scholarly Communication and Technology

Online Books at Columbia

8. CONCLUSIONS

We find ourselves at the beginning of a complex project, which we have planned in considerable detail. We are not as far along as we would have hoped, principally because it is much more difficult to bring books into online form than everyone has anticipated. In addition, the explosive growth of Web browser technology creates continuous pressure to improve the functionality of the books that go online. We are in the position of surgeons who must keep a patient active, while making drastic changes to that patient's anatomy. We believe that our procedures for surveying the users and analyzing their responses will help us to do that. We hope, in addition, that the results will prove useful to others who wish to understand or to replicate the transitions being pioneered at Columbia.

We look forward to suggestions and comments from others who are approaching this problem from other perspectives.

Appendix 1. Contemporary Books In the Online Collection

Publisher/Title	Author	Subject	Print Status	Month Public	No. of Chapt. or Essays	No. Of Pages	Price - Hard ($)	Price - Soft ($)
Columbia University Press
Great Paleozoic Crisis	Erwin	Earth Science	Circulating	6/97	10/c	327	57.00	27.50
Seismosaurus: The Earth Shaker	Gillette	Earth Science	Circulating	10/96	11c	205	39.95
Invasions of the Land	Gordon	Earth Science	Circulating	6/97	10c	312	65.00	17.50
Folding of Viscous Layers*	Johnson	Earth Science	Circulating			461
Dinosaur Tracks and Other Fossil Footprints*	Lockley	Earth Science	Circulating			338
Sedimentographica: Photographic Atlas	Ricci-Lucchi	Earth Science	Circulating	1/97	8c	255	45.00
Development of Biological Systematics*	Stevens	Earth Science	Circulating			616
Consuming Subjects*	Kowaleski	Economic History	Circulating			185	39.50	15.50
Jordan's Inter-Arab Relations	Brand	Internat'l Relations	Reserves	3/97	8c	350	45.00
Managing Indonesia	Bresnan	Internat'l Relations	Reserves	3/97	10c	375	55.00	19.50
Logic of Anarchy*	Buzan	Internat'l Relations	Reserves			267
Hemmed In: Responses to Africa's...	Callagy	Internat'l Relations	Reserves	3/97	13e	573	52.50	19.50
China's Road to the Korean War*	Chen	Internat'l Relations	Circulating			339	37.50	17.50
Culture of National Security*	Katzenstein	Internat'l Relations	Reserves			562	50.00	17.50
International Relations Theory & the End of the Cold War*	Lebow	Internat'l Relations	Circulating			2925	45.00	17.50
The Cold War on the Periphery*	McMahon	Internat'l Relations	Circulating			431	34.50	17.50
Losing Control: Sovereignty...*	Sassen	Internat'l Relations	Circulating			149	24.95
Gender In International Relations	Tickner	Internat'l Relations	Reserves Circulating	11/96	5c	180	30.00	15.50
The Inhuman Race*	Cassuto	Literary Criticism	Circulating			289	49.50	17.50
Rethinking Class: Literary Studies...*	Dimock	Literary Criticism	Circulating			285	49.50	16.50
The Blue-Eyed Tarokaja*	Keene	Literary Criticism	Circulating			210		24.50
Ecological Literary Criticism*	Kroeber	Literary Criticism	Circulating			185	49.50	16.50
Parables of Possibility*	Martin	Literary Criticism	Circulating			263	27.50
The Text and the Voice*	Portelli	Literary Criticism	Circulating			415
At Emerson's Tomb*	Rowe	Literary Criticism	Circulating			320	49.50	16.50
Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical...*	Thomson	Literary Criticism	Circulating			200	45.00	16.50
What Else But Love? The Ordeal of Race...*	Weinstein	Literary Criticism	Circulating			237	42.00	15.50
Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry	Granger	Poetry	Ref. Desk	10/94	N/A	231
Ozone Discourses	Liftin	Political Science	Reserves	1/97	6c	257		16.50
Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia		Reference	Ref. Desk	3/91	N/A	943		49.95
Hierarchy Theory*	Ahl	Science	Circulating			206	49.50
Refiguring Life: Metaphors of 20th Century Biology*	Keller	Science	Circulating			134	20.00	16.50
The Molecular Biology of Gaia*	Williams	Science	Circulating			210	45.00
Sampling the Green World*	Stuessy	Science/ Botany	Circulating			289	49.50
The Illusion of Love*	Celani	Social Work	Circulating			217	27.50	16.50
Mutual Aid Groups, Vulnerable Populations, & the Life Cycle	Gitterman	Social Work	Reserves	11/96	21e	448	39.50
Supervision in Social Work	Kadushin	Social Work	Reserves	9/96	10c	597	45.00
Eating Disorders: New Directions*	Kinoy	Social Work	Circulating			166	42.50	15.00
From Father's Property to Children's Rights*	Mason	Social Work	Circulating			237	40.00	16.00
Handbook of Gerontological Services	Monk	Social Work	Reserves	9/96	25e	694	65.00
Turning Promises Into Performance	Nathan	Social Work	Circulating	9/96	13c	160	45.00	15.50
Philosophical Foundations of Social Work	Reamer	Social Work	Reserves Circulating	9/96	5c	219	49.50	17.00
Task Strategies: An Empirical Approach	Reid	Social Work	Reserves	9/96	11c	329	37.50
Experiencing HIV*	Sears	Social Work	Circulating			182	45.00	15.00
Qualitative Research In Social Work	Sherman	Social Work	Reserves	1/97	43e	520	57.50	27.50
The Empowerment Tradition in America*	Simon	Social Work	Circulating			297	49.00	22.50
Garland Publishing
Native American Women	Bataille	Biography	Reference	1/97	N/A	333
African American Women	Salem	Biography	Reference	1/97	N/A	622
Chaucer Name Dictionary	de Weever	English Literature	Reference	12/96	N/A	451
Oxford University Press
Oxford English Dictionary		Language	Reference	9/96	N/A	N/A
Postcards from the Trenches: Negotiating the Space Between Modernism & The First World War**	Booth	Literary Criticism	Circulating			186	35.00
The Erotics of Talk**	Kaplan	Literary Criticism	Circulating			240?	35.00	16.95
"Littery Man": Mark Twain...	Lowrey	Literary Criticism	Circulating	11/96	4c	177	39.95
Children's Literature & Critical Theory	May	Literary Criticism	Circulating	11/96	9c	243	29.95	18.95
Poetics of Fascism	Morrison	Literary Criticism	Circulating	10/96	4c	177	39.95
Novel & Globalization of Culture	Moses	Literary Criticism	Circulating	11/96	4c	240		18.95
Modernism & the Theater of Censorship	Parkes	Literary Criticism	Circulating	6/97	4c	242	45.00
Romances of the Republic: Women, the Family, & Violence in the Literature of the Early American Nation**	Samuels	Literary Criticism	Circulating			208	39.95
Majestic Indolence: English Romantic Poetry...	Spiegelman	Literary Criticism	Circulating	1/97	6c	221	49.95
Making Mortal Choices: Three Exercises in Moral Casuistry**	Bedau	Philosophy	Circulating			123	29.95	13.95
Morality, Normativity & Society	Copp	Philosophy	Circulating	10/97	10c	262	42.00
Free Public Reason: Making It Up ...	D'Agostino	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	10c	203	45.00
Metaphilosophy and Free Will**	Double	Philosophy	Circulating			192?	35.00
Bangs, Crunches, Whimpers & Shrieks	Earman	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	8c	257	35.00
Causation and Persistence: A Theory of Causation**	Ehring	Philosophy	Circulating			191	39.95
Self Expression: Mind, Morals & Meaning...	Flanagan	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	12c	222	24.95
Logic of Reliable Inquiry	Kelly	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	16c	434	59.00
Philosophy of Mathematics & Mathematical Practice In the 17th Century	Mancosu	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	6c	275	60.00
Moral Dilemmas & Moral Theory**	mason	Philosophy	Circulating			246	45.00
Autonomous Agents: From Self Control to Autonomy	Mele	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	13c	371	49.95
Other Minds: Critical Essays	Nagel	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	22e	229	26.00
The Last Word**	Nagel	Philosophy	Circulating			147	19.95
Law & Truth	Patterson	Philosophy	Circulating	11/96	7c	189	39.95
Nietzsche's System	Richardson	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	4c	316	35.00
Freedom & Moral Sentiment	Russel	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	12c	200	45.00
Living High and Letting Die**	Unger	Philosophy	Circulating			187	39.95	14.95
The Human Animal**	Weston	Philosophy	not in yet			208?	29.95
Real Rights	Wellman	Philosophy	Circulating	10/96	8c	279	52.00
Simon & Schuster
Bond Markets**#	Fabozzi	Business	Reserves			595	72.00
Marketing Management**#	Kotler	Business	Reserves			824	75.00
Statistics for Business & Economics**	Newbold	Business	Reserves			895	61.50
Investments**	Sharpe	Business	Reserves			900	80.00
Financial Market Rates & Flows**	Van Horne	Business	Reserves			338	41.00
Politics & the Media	Davis	Political Science	Reserves	4/97	9c	432	30.00
Public Policy Analysis**	Dunn	Political Science	Reserves			480
International Politics	Holsti	Political Science	Reserves	1/97	15c	432	32.25
Notes: * Permission has been received, but the book is not yet online. ** Book is not yet online. # A new edition has been issued for which we need the electronic file.

Appendix 2. Format Availability, Winter 1997, and Introduction Date

	Unix w/Patty	CNet - Own format/ Patty	CNet w/Lynx text-based browser	CWeb w/Lynx text-based browser	CWeb w/ graphical browser
Columbia Concise Electronic Encyclopedia.		3/91
Oxford English Dictionary	8/94	8/94		9/96	9/96
Granger's Index to Poetry			10/94	10/94	10/94
Chaucer Name Dictionary			12/96	12/96	12/96
Native American Women			2/97	1/97	1/97
African American Women			2/97	2/97	2/97
All other books				1995-1997	1995-1997

Unix access allows the user to simple type in a command (e.g., OED) at the Unix prompt and to go to the resource from there. The Patty 2.0 interface and search engine allows sophisticated searching. In the Unix mode the user can save a whole entry to a file.
ColumbiaNet (CNet) is a gopher-based Campus Wide Information System (CWIS). Users can clip individual screens (which may not encompass a whole entry) and download (file transfer), mail or print them. Some Web documents have been linked to CNet menus via lynx, the text-based Web browser. The user then has both lynx and CNet functionality.
ColumbiaWeb (CWeb) is Columbia's main World Wide Web site. LibraryWeb (LWeb) is the Libraries' site within CWeb. Both can be accessed by either a graphical browser or lynx. All graphical browser functionalities are available to the community while using the online books - reading, finding words, printing pages or whole documents, saving to a file, copying and pasting to a word processor document. A lynx user can save an entire Web file to a local file, email it or print it to the screen. Or she can copy and paste portions of a Web file to another document.

Appendix 3. Home Computers: Minimum Specifications Recommended

Specification	5/94 (for student)	12/94	4/95	8/95	11/95
CPU	486	486/66	486DX2/66	75 Mhz Pentium	75 Mhz Pentium (slowest Pentium available)
RAM	4 MB	8 MB	8 MB	8 MB	8 MB
Hard Drive Capacity	100 MB	340 MB	500 MB	750 MB	1 GB
CD-ROM Drive		Double	Double	Quad	Quad
Monitor: Size Capacity	SVGA- compatible		15" 256-color SVGA	17" better	15" 72-Hz
Graphics: Pixels Colors Video RAM	SVGA		640 x 480 256	65,000 1 MB	640 x 480 256 1 MB
Sound: Card Speakers			16-bit Sound Blaster-compatible	Sound Blaster comp. Stereo	16-bit SB-compatible Powered
Modem			14.4 kbps fax modem	14.4 kbps	14.4 kbps fax modem
Price	$1,500	$2,500	$1,800-$2,000	Not Given	About $2,000
Source	Family PC, 5/1/94, p. 140+	PC Magazine	"Family Shopper Smartcard," Family PC, 4/95	Walter S. Mossberg, Personal Technology, Wall Street Journal, 8/31/95, p. B1	"Multimedia Family PCs: New Minimum System Requirements," & "Family Shopper Smartcard," Family PC, 11/17/95

Specification	4/96	4/96	5/96	11/96	4/97
CPU	75 Mhz Pentium	133 Mhz Pentium	120 Mhz Pentium	133 Mhz Pentium (200 Mhz is fastest available)	166 Mhz MMX Pentium (200 Mhz if possible)
RAM	8 MB	16 MB	16 MB	16 MB EDO RAM	16 MB (32 preferable)
Hard Drive Capacity	1 GB	Fast 1.2 GB	1.2 GB	1.2 GB	2.0 GB, more if possible
CD-ROM Drive	Quad	Quad	Quad	6X (up to 12X available)	8X
Monitor: Size	15" 72-Hz	15" (17" better)	17"	15"	17" with maximum .28 mm dot pitch
Graphics: Pixels Colors Video RAM	640 x 480 256 1 MB	64 bit Graphics Accelerator	65,000 1 MB	Accelerated PCI graphics card w/1 MB RAM	2 MB VRAM
Sound: Card Speakers	16-bit SB-compatible Powered	Not mentioned	16-bit SB-compatible	16-bit FM music synthesis, SB-compatible
Modem	14.4 kbps fax modem	28.8 kbps data/fax modem	28.8 kbps	28.8 kbps	33.5 kbps, upgrade to 56 kbps
Connectors					Pair USB ports
Price	About $2,000	$2,500 or more	$2,000-$2,500	$2,000	Not given
Source	"Family Shopper Smartcard," Family PC, April 1996	Bill Howard, "At Home," PC Magazine, 4/23/96, p. 300. Min. For "Perfect Home Computer"	Walter S. Mossberg, Personal Technology, Wall Street Journal, 5/10/96, p. B1	"The '97 Multimedia Family PC," Family PC, Dec. 1996 (recd 11/19/96), p. 68.	Walter S. Mossberg, Personal Technology, Wall Street Journal, 4/9/97, p. B1

Appendix 4. Gateway 2000 Home Computers: System Specifications

Specification	12/94	4/95	5/95	12/95	4/96
Computer Name	P5-60 Family PC (featured in ads)	P5-60 Family PC (featured in ads)	P5-75 Family PC (featured in ads)	P5-100 Family PC (Top Rated, Best Buy)	P5-150
CPU	60 Mhz Pentium	60 Mhz Pentium	75 Mhz Pentium	100 Mhz Pentium	150 Mhz Pentium
RAM	8 MB	8 MB	8 MB	8 MB	16 MB
Hard Drive Capacity	540 MB	540 MB	730 MB	1 GB	1.6 GB
CD-ROM Drive	2x	4x	4x	4x	6x
Monitor: Size	14"	15"	17"	15"	17"
Graphics: Pixels Colors Video RAM	1 MB	1 MB	2 MB	2 MB	2 MB
Sound: Card Speakers	16-bit SB-compatible Altec Lansing	16-bit SB-compatible Altec Lansing	16-bit SB-compatible Altec Lansing	16-bit SB-compatible Altec Lansing ACS-40	16-bit SB-compatible Altec Lansing
Modem	14.4 kbps fax modem	14.4 kbps fax modem	14.4 kbps fax modem	28.8 kbps fax modem	28.8 kbps fax modem
Software Included	MS Works + CD-ROMs	MS Works + CD-ROMs	MS Works + CD-ROMs	MS Works, 20 CD-ROMs	MS Office 95
Price (+ shipping)	$2,099	$2,099	$2,499	$2,149	$2,899
Source	GW2000 ad	GW2000 ad	GW2000 ad	"Multimedia Family PCs: Recommended Systems," Family PC, 11/17/95 & GW2000 advertising insert, 12/95	GW2000 ad

Specification	5/96	5/96	10/96	10/96	5/97 & 6/97	5/97
Computer Name	P5-133 Family PC	P5-120 Family PC	P5-166 Family PC (featured in ads)	G6-180 Family PC (featured in ads)	G5-166M (featured in ads)	G5-200M (modified)
CPU	133 Mhz Pentium	120 Mhz Pentium	166 Mhz Pentium	180 Mhz Pentium Pro	166 Mhz MMX Pentium	200 Mhz MMX Pentium
RAM	16 MB	16 MB	16 MB/256 KB Cache	32 MB/256 KB Internal Cache	16 MB/256 KB Internal Cache	16 MB/512 KB Internal Cache
Hard Drive Capacity	1.62 GB	850 MB	2 GB	2 GB	1.6 GB	1.6 GB
CD-ROM Drive	8x	8x	8x	8x	12X	12X
Monitor: Size	17" Vivitron	15" CrystalScan	17" CrystalScan	17" Vivitron	15" CrystalScan	15" CrystalScan
Graphics Video RAM	64 Bit PCI Accelerator w/MPEG Video Scaler 2 MB	64 Bit PCI Accelerator w/MPEG Video Scaler 1 MB	64 Bit PCI Graphics 2 MB	64 Bit PCI Graphics 2 MB	64 Bit PCI Graphics 3-D 2 MB	64 Bit PCI Graphics 3-D 2 MB
Sound: Card Speakers	16-bit SB-compatible Altec Lansing ACS-40	16-bit SB-compatible Altec Lansing ACS-40	16-bit Gateway Sound, SB-comp. Altec Lansing ACS-40	16-bit Ensoniq Wavetable Altec Lansing ACS-40	16-bit Gateway Sound, SB comp. Altec Lansing ACS-41	16-bit Gateway Sound, SB comp. Altec Lansing ACS-41
Modem	28.8 kbps fax modem	28.8 kbps fax modem	36.3 kbps fax modem w/speakerphone	36.3 kbps fax modem w/speakerphone	Telepath modem w/speakerphone, x2 Tech upgradeable	Telepath modem w/speakerphone, x2 Tech upgradeable
Software Included	MS Works + 14 CD-ROMs	MS Works + 14 CD-ROMs	Generations II	Generations II	MS Office 97, Encarta, MMX Tech-Enhanced Software	MS Office 97
Price (+ shipping)	$2,549	$1,999	$2,199	$2,649	5/97: $1,799 6/97: $1,749	$2,064
Source	GW2000 ad, 5/96	GW2000 ad, 5/96	GW2000 ad, 10/96	GW2000 ad, 10/96	GW2000 ads	GW2000 website

Appendix 5. U.S. Household PC & Internet Penetration

(ALL PERCENTAGES)

*Year & Source (so)* for Estimate**
	2000	so	1998	so	Jan -97	so	Dec -96	so	Sep -96	so	Jan -96	so	Sep -95	so	Jun -95	so	Jan -95	so	Sep -94	so	Mar -94	so
HH Penetration PCs	55	8	47	8	37	1	39	8	37	9	35	1	35	9	32	1	31	1	35	9	31	3
					35.5	6					34	2			36	3	33	2
											32.8	6
First Time Buyers of Home PCs Share of Total Sales Home PCs					32	1					50	1									50	1
Share of Primary HH PCs:
Pentium					40%	10					24	2			7	3	4	2
486					60%	10									40	3
Windows-based PCs (Share of All HH PCs)					59.1	6					42.6	6
HH Penetration Modems	50	8	42	8			28	8			>50	6			18	1	16	1			12	3
											70	2			20	3	73	2*
																	44.4	6
HH Penetration Online Services	35	8	27	8	17	1	17	4	14	5	11	1,4	6.4	9	9	1			4.5	9	5	3
							15	8	10.6	9	46	2**			12	3	25	2*
HH Penetration of Other Internet Access											26	2**
Adults (>=age 16) using Internet							~25	7			<10	7
HH Penetration CD-ROMs											70	2			15	3
											83	2*					55	2*
NOTES:
* Percentage of new computers purchased in previous year.
** Percentage of modem owners subscribing to an online service.

SOURCES:
1. Odyssey Ventures. Jared Sandberg, "PC Makers' Push Into More Homes May Be Faltering," Wall Street Journal, March 6, 1997
2. Software Publishers Association Surveys (Telephone survey, about 500 adults)
3. Times Mirror Surveys (Telephone survey, about 3,600 adults)
4. Electronic Information Report, 1996 Online Subscriber Survey
5. PC-Meter, Use of Internet Access Service in Last Month, reported by Reuters in clari-news
6. NPD Group, Inc., "Latest NPD Survey Finds World Wide Web Access From Homes Grew Fourfold in Second Half of 1995" Report on survey of sample of 44,800 homes.
7. Nielsen Media Research survey for CommerceNet, Julia Angwin, "Internet Usage Doubles in a Year, San Francisco Chronicle, March 13, 1997
8. Jupiter Communications, January 6, 1997 "New Devices and Technologies Will Drive Net Into 36 Million Homes by 2000"
9. INTECO Corp., "Percent of HH with PCs, Internet Access: 1993 to 1996
10. PC-Meter, "Pentium, Windows 95 in Minority of Home Installs, According to New PC Meter Reports," July 1, 1997 Press Release from PC-Meter. PC Meter panel consists of 10,000 PC-owning households in the U.S. Note: Value given as share of 486 processors is actually all sub-Pentium PC processors, so includes 286s and 386s as well. Report also notes that 47 percent of household PCs now have Windows 95.

Appendix 6. Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Sessions, 1994 - 1997: CNet

	Number of Sessions				% Change:
Month	1994	1995	1996	1997	'94 to '95	'95 to '96	'96 to '97
Jan.	1,186	993	645	224	-16%	-35%	-77%
Feb.	1,645	1,342	991	341	-18%	-26%	-66%
Mar.	1,529	1,508	997	394	-1%	-34%	-60%
April	1,551	1,335	896	250	-14%	-33%	-72%
May	1,042	757	458	197	-27%	-39%	-57%
June	713	466	326		-35%	-30%
July	712	475	412		-33%	-13%
Aug.	708	496	251		-30%	-49%
Sept.	1,160	761	291		-34%	-62%
Oct.	1,879	1,251	542		-33%	-57%
Nov.	1,596	1,029	405		-36%	-61%
Dec.	1,300	833	300		-36%	-64%
Total	15,021	13,2416	6,514		-25%	-42%
Note: July 1995 hits are estimated.