The Web Library: Building a World Class Personal Library with Free Web Resources

Citation

Meaden, K. (2006), "The Web Library: Building a World Class Personal Library with Free Web Resources", New Library World, Vol. 107 No. 5/6, pp. 266-267. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074800610665275

My first reaction when I saw The Web Library was that it was going to be yet another awareness‐raising book, providing lists of free, quality internet resources that would soon become out of date, such is the nature of the internet. How very wrong I was. It is so much more than that.

Nick Tomaiuolo, the Associate Librarian at the Elihu Burritt Library at Central Connecticut State University, has produced a rich and unique book that the title does not do justice to. Rather than just listing links of quality sites, each chapter is rich with discussions on the advantages and problems of its particular topic, comparisons of online sources and their print counterparts or precursors, and most interestingly, includes transcripts of “insider” interviews with the content providers of some of the main resources. These range from the founder of Project Gutenberg to a professional travel photographer and, along with the author's easily readable writing style and sense of humour which permeate the text, provide the life that would otherwise be lacking. They cover related issues such as copyright, viability, and the rationale for making such quality resources freely available.

Each chapter covers a different format required to build a personal library – articles and indexes; news; reference sources; expert, AskA and digital reference services; books; images; exhibitions – and the penultimate one focuses on overcoming the hardware and software challenges that the reader may also have to face. Each ends with an appendix which supports the discussions and issues that the author raises and demonstrates the sheer extent of his research.

The resources that are listed are all of a very high quality and are evaluated according to their value and limitations, ensuring that the reader makes most effective use of them and providing a balanced viewpoint. Furthermore, the book does not bother to provide URLs for the resources, recognising that they will quickly change. Instead, a companion website is available which Tomaiuolo personally keeps up to date, providing direct links to the resources themselves, and arranged by chapter to mirror the book. Since its publication, it is interesting to note that two new pages have appeared on the site, linking to online rare books and primary sources.

The book is intended for any internet user, but the level of discussion and dense content is most likely to attract the interest of librarians over any other potential audience. It also seems intent on selling the benefits of freely available, quality resources and the need to save money – as if anyone would need telling twice!