One of my regular trawls for certain terms turned up this post by Kate Hyde.

The post is interesting in itself, and was worth following through to read. Possibly more interesting, though, was the whole premise behind the blog on which it was written;

“This is the new blog from editors and authors at Press Books; a place where writers can go to post opinion and try out new material, and where readers can fight back on the issues that interest them.

We’ll be featuring a wealth of original material, including thought pieces and articles from our authors, extracts and previews from forthcoming books, recipes, campaigns and discussions.”

There’s not much there yet, but it has all the hallmarks of providing an interesting and eclectic mix of thought and commentary.

Kate’s post, for example, is worth thinking about; and not only because it doesn’t come from one of the usual sources;

“Short of finding a high-profile public campaigner to do for libraries what Jamie Oliver has done for school dinners (fifthestate gets in early and votes Ian Sansom), it is entirely unrealistic of to imagine that [£760 million] will ever materialize in full. Cue Tim Coates, a libraries campaigner and former managing director of Waterstone’s: ‘It is, of course, appalling, but it must not become a cry for more taxpayers’ money to be spent. There is plenty of money already in the system.’

Ok, whoa, so backing up a bit here: do we actually like libraries beyond a general motherhood and apple pie sense? In the digital age, is it worth investing another £760 million of public money on physical buildings and nice friendly librarians to stamp your card, or would we be better off looking for a more ‘ambitious’ vision for a library service in the 21st century? Well, personally the answer to the first question is YES.”

Kudos, too, to Press Books. If they really have let authors and editors off the leash with ‘rules’ akin to Talis’ own “just be sensible” blogging policy, it’s a move braver than I am used to seeing from the world of publishing.

To quote their ‘Manifesto‘;

“Fifthestate is the idea of editors and authors at Press Books, borne out of a passion for the subjects around which we’re publishing.

Fifthestate is a place where writers can go to post opinion and debate, try out new material, and where readers can fight back on all the issues that interest them.

We very quickly realized this could all be accomplished by a collective blog, so here it is. As far as humanly – and legally – possible we want to make everything open, free and good. And fifthestate very much hopes you’ll get involved to help it shape and grow.”

I shall be watching this particular experiment with interest, and commend it to the rest of you…

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Cluetrain, Libraries, Library 2.0

Share This