The New York Public Library will be obtaining a print-on-demand press called the Espresso Book Machine, which can create a paperback from a PDF file in about 5 minutes.

The machine, which costs about $100,000, has the potential to change how libraries could provide materials.  Imagine a WorldCat-like opac that lets you choose an item, which is printed while you wait (and 5 minutes spent finding a book is not unusual for a larger library), and is able then to be checked out.

I wonder what percentage of a library’s collection could be held digitally?  This could solve much of the space crunch facing many libraries, in the long term.

from NewsForge

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