FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) June 29, 2005 -- The British Library predicts there will be a switch from print to digital publishing by 2020.

Speaking at the launch of the Library's national strategy Chief Executive Lynne Brindley said a study commissioned by the Library projects that by 2020 50 per cent of publications will be available in both print and digital, while a mere 10 per cent of new titles will be available in print alone.

“This is a seismic shift, and one that we – and our partners in the publishing and information industries – need 2020 vision to prepare for in order to maintain Britain’s competitiveness across all sectors, from business to the arts, from science to education and culture.

Our aim at the British Library is to develop the infrastructure to store, manage, preserve

and provide access to digital material in the same way as we do for the ‘physical’ national collection that we and our predecessors have stewarded for the last 250 years.

We have worked hard over the past few years to secure the legislation we need (digital legal deposit), work in collaboration with publishers, other libraries and with technical partners to build the necessary systems to ensure long-term access arrangements," Ms Brindley said.

London-based design and web development company pedalo limited, who specialises in developing sites for the literary sector, recently collaborated with the British Library on their pioneer web archiving project.

The project ensured the pedalo-developed website dedicated to author Jeanette Winterson

was preserved as part of the Library’s permanent collections, making it accessible to the public now and in the future.

“pedalo was very excited to be involved with the project, which will ensure our and Jeanette’s work is showcased for many years to come,” pedalo Director Tom Porter said.

Jeannette Winterson said of her involvement in the project: "I am not one of those writers who believes that the Web is the Evil Empire, or that the Internet will slay the book. I am excited to be involved in new technologies, and I know that my site is visited by thousands of people every month. It is clever and forward-thinking of the British Library to propose this archive pilot project. New generations will use the Web more and more routinely, and we will find that electronic media and print media are really allies, not enemies," Jeanette Winterson said.

For more information about pedalo’s work in the literary sector visit www.pedalo.co.uk/literary and the British Library’s web archiving project visit http://www.webarchive.org.uk

ENDS