Adding value to the collection in a world of free information: How do publishers producing paid-for content compete with free in the online reference world?

Robert Faber Editorial Director, Reference/Director, Oxford University Press Play (30min) Download: MP4 | MP3

Starting with the digitisation of the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1980s, reference works have played a key part in the digital transition of OUP’s publishing, and since 2000 have continued to thrive alongside the growing mass of free information on the web. This talk uses case studies including Oxford Reference and the Oxford Index to discuss how readers use reference resources; the channels from free to deeper content in library collections; changes in approaches to discovery and collaboration; and the new place of general reference in the digital ecosystems of search and research.