Countdown to 2007: 4

Another hot topic for discussion next year...

4: Is on-demand book printing a threat?

Librarians prepare for the future! Your users may soon be able to print a copy of a book at an ATM style machine in less than 10 minutes – and what will that do to your jobs? Will it have the same effect as the mass closure of bank branch networks in the 1980s as hole in the wall machines displaced humans? During 2007, OnDemandBooks plans to globally deploy the Espresso Book Machine, a $50,000 device that can produce 15-20 library quality paperbacks in less than an hour. The New York Public Library is said to be ready to receive its first machine in February 2007, and OnDemand is careful to point out that it will "fully respect licences and copyrights". Content will come from Google and the Open Content Alliance. But there's no need to panic just yet. Think of how you took the photocopier in your stride - and figure out ways to leash this beast.