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The E-Sylum: Volume 10, Number 53, December 30, 2007, Article 18 PRESIDENT JOHN ADAMS LIBRARY ONLINE [No, not Numismatic Bibliomania Society President John W. Adams - that OTHER President John Adams, the one whose face is on the new dollar coin. -Editor] In his wildest dreams, John Adams, the second president of the United States, couldn't have predicted the fate of his 3,700-volume personal library. In two years, it will be made available for viewing online for all to see without any commercial encumbrances. Adams' library is just a small part of an effort by nonprofit library and archival organizations to place the historical record of the United States online now under way at the Boston Public Library. "It's full speed ahead," said Maura Marx, manager of digital services at the Boston Public Library, in an interview Thursday. "We have two shifts [of people working on the project] -- 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to midnight." Books and historical documents from the 19-member Boston Library Consortium are being scanned under the auspices of the project. "Unlike corporate backed efforts by Google, Microsoft, Amazon, et al, which all impose different, albeit understandable, levels of restriction to protect their investment the [Boston Library Consortium] has shown libraries all across the country the right way to take institutional responsibility and manage this historic transition to a universal digital archive that serves the needs of scholars, researchers, and the general public without compromise," said the Sloan Foundation's Doron Weber in a recent statement. The Boston Pubic Library's Marx noted that the library has many documents of historical value. The Adams library, for instance, is unique because it is complete and intact. The libraries and writings of other U.S. founding fathers were destroyed by fire or dispersed by succeeding family members, for instance. "There's nothing quite like the Adams library," she said. "We're scanning flat pages and objects. Adams made notes in the margins of his books, and they will be available for all to see." To read the complete article, see: Complete Article Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum | |
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