And Our Three Millionth Volume Is… An Open Access Title? [maybe]

We’ve been kicking around ideas for our symbolic three millionth volume. Most libraries pick an old book with an ornate cover and build a message about the concept of printed artifacts. At UCSB we might do that too... or maybe not. One of the exciting ideas that came up during our initial brainstorming was selecting an open access title or at least something that is born digital. This really rocks the boat but I think that is a good thing. This is a chance to really make a statement about the direction library collections are heading. It also gives us a springboard to reach out to our faculty about scholarly communications. I can imagine a nice promotional package built around this theme.
 

Ah, but that to choose? That’s where we are now. I thought I’d open it up to you too. What would you select for a ceremonial “millionth” volume?  What are some digital items that would really make a statement?
  

I’ll share what we end up doing, but I really want to build around the mystery for our patrons of what it is or might be. I’m sure librarians are the only one who get excited about these things, but I’m hoping to stimulate discussion around campus on what exactly a modern library collection is all about. This also gives us the opportunity to highlight other recent noteworthy materials and a platform to talk about our future vision.

 Seriously though, you’d be surprised by how much debate there is around this topic. Answers/ideas variety great among faculty, librarians, students, and donors.  But the born digital theme keeps surfacing and it’s a very exciting and realistic possibility.
 

Anyway, this seems like an effective channel to build library intrigue during the Spring Quarter. So… what is the three millionth volume… find out May 6^th! In the meantime, any suggestions you might have would be very much appreciated.

Comments

[StevenB]

Yes, we went through this last year - probably took two years to pick the book, and in the end it probably wouldn't have mattered much what it was - although we did acquire a rather nice item. How about finding a book that you can get in print and then choose the print and digital version - one foot in the past, one poised in the future.

[brian]

We talked about that-- also about scanning something... we'll see. One of the ideas I really like is a collection of geospatial data. It is visual, digital, and practical. I just hope we don't end up with Moby Dick or something like that.

[Graeme Williams]

I nominate Cory Doctorow's Makers from Tor Books. It first appeared serialized on a blog (http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=38507), it comes with a Flash game, and it's also available as a print book.