Dr. Robert Darnton, Director of the Harvard
University Libraries delivered the second lecture of the 2013-214 Marcus Orr
Center for the Humanities Season at the University Of Memphis University Center Theater on October 10, 2013 to a gathering
over just over 200 guests.
Darnton opened his remarks by relating the history of Harvard’s library. John Harvard was a great benefactor to the University, donating large sums to the library. So, the school began as a small college with a huge library. The library became so prominent that the college ended up assuming the name given to the library in recognition of its generous benefactor. Darnton noted, “The library is the heart and soul of the University, and added, “In the same way that public libraries are the heart and soul of communities.”
Darnton,
along with many others, was responsible for launching the Digital Public
Library of America (DPLA) on April 18, 2013. What he and his collaborators had hoped to be a
major news event, the launch was lost in the coverage of the tragic “Boston Marathon
Bombings. The mission of the DPLA is to serve everyone. Darnton feels that the
public should have access to all knowledge, especially things that are produced
with public funds. The DPLA is working towards getting as much information to
the public as possible.
Darnton
gave some examples of how some libraries contain so much knowledge, but they do
not want to share it with the public. He discussed how The Great Library of
Alexandria was a collection of all the books in the world, yet it was closed
off to the public. He said that as such, it was not really a library. He also
spoke of how great universities such as Oxford and Cambridge limited the
information in their libraries to “the privileged few.” The universities have
huge gates with spikes at the top to keep “the outsiders” from getting in. Darnton illustrated his point by sharing a picture
of him with a friend when he attended Oxford The re showing them going through
one of the passageways that the students would use to avoid getting locked out at
the main gates. Darnton stressed that
libraries should “digitize and democratize instead of walling themselves off.”
Darnton
is encouraging authors to participate in an “authors’ alliance,” where-by authors
give up their copyright to the DPLA. Darnton
jokingly explained, “I published a book in 1968. I make enough from it to take
my wife to dinner every two years, if she pays for her dinner.” His point is authors
make so little profit on their publications, they may benefit from the alliance.
Dr.
Darnton concluded his remarks by explaining that the DPLA cannot make everything
available at once, but it will eventually provide the public with knowledge.
This is just the beginning, and there is still a lot of work to do.
For
more information about the Digital Public Library of America, visit http://dp.la/
Jasmine
Morton - MOCH
Honors Intern
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