The "long tail" concept, while becoming the most overused buzzword
of the online industry, actually has a significant place in the
traditional information industry. Because the inventory of information
and electronic content is nearly limitless, the long tail has an even
stronger significance. Information discovery and accessibility is the
key to producing a long tail.To further the argument for improved
information discovery, Katherine Mossman (Library Journal, July 2006)
points out that in the long tail model librarians and libraries play a
key role:
* Libraries act as almost limitless inventory collections
* Librarians act as search filters
* Collection management by librarians is a constant work in progress
* Statistics (usage) is a critical factor
* Institutions must be able to measure the ROI on content purchases and continue to make the right choices for their constituents
The global information marketplace is able to quickly reach a global audience (there are more than 65,000 publishers worldwide) and many still generate "hits" or "best sellers" which drive and subsidize the traditional publishing world, but this model is changing.
The Ongoing Struggle of Free vs. Fee
