Talk:DCMS consultation on e-lending in libraries

Please do use this page to discuss the potential submission to the consultation. Thank you. --Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 14:01, 5 November 2012 (UTC)

Contrary to what is on the page at the moment.. the e-lending model doesn't fit Wikipedia certainly, but I am not sure the DCMS believe it would :D On the other hand, as a Wikipedian I strongly support e-lending! The ability to obtain reference material in digital form via the library system (i.e. for free) would help significantly both with research and for Wikipedia readers who want to follow the sources trail. Unless I have totally mistaken what this consultation is about I think it absolutely is a brilliant thing for editors and the movement (opening up access to knowledge). --ErrantX (talk) 15:38, 5 November 2012 (UTC)

r.e. #4; we need to take care with this argument. Wikipedia is extremely unfinished and much of it is low-quality; that is OK as a tertiary reference work (because we can link through to sources which are better prepared). But if the sources are equally "collaborative" in nature, written by unskilled persons, then we risk undermining the concept of neutrality to its core. I think arguing our model works for e-publishing is problematic and not what is being looked for here.

r.e. #5; this answer misses the point about the usefulness of publishers, which is not limited to "someone with a supply chain to print dead-tree-copies". Publishers provide editorial control & copy editing services; the first of those, at least, is important to us at Wikipedia in relation to reliable sources! --ErrantX (talk) 15:59, 5 November 2012 (UTC)