I was forwarded not long ago an email exchange between a director of a digital lexicography project and a librarian. The former enquired whether the library could purchase a lexicon on CD-ROM. The librarian’s answer was that the acquisitions department strongly disencouraged the purchase of CD-ROMs. Some of the arguments put forward included:

- public machines are too locked-down for loading new software

- there is a very high rate of theft in relations to CD-ROMs

- whenever there is an on-line alternative, the latter should be preferred

- major publishers are moving away from publishing on CD-ROM.

While I do find some arguments persuasive and others not so, it truly begs the question: are CD-ROMs (and, I suppose, the same goes for DVD-ROMs) still a desirable medium for ditigal publication?

I would appreciate your feedback on this.

Best

Juan

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Dr Juan Garcés

Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London

Kay House, 7 Arundel Street

London WC2R 3DX

T: +44 (0)20 7848 1393

F: +44 (0)20 7848 2980