Encyclopedia Britannica Goes 100% Digital

Encyclopaedia Britannica continues in digital form – but not as a set of books

Caryn Rousseau of the Associated Press reported today from Chicago that the 244 year old printed edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica has been discontinued. First published in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1768, the presses have stopped and the printed set of 32 volumes will no longer be printed. The top year for sales was 1990, when 120,000 sets were sold. The number shriveled to just 40,000 by 1996.

Britannica is not going out of business. Digital versions will continue with continuous updates. The first CD/ROM version was made available in 1989, and the encyclopedia when online in 1994. Executives deny that Google or Wikipedia are the cause for ending the print edition. The digital version simply outsells the old printed product. And readers can add their own comments to the digital entries.

Britannica also claims an impressive array of contributors and editors, giving it a sterling reputation for accuracy and completeness.
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Summarized from:

http://news.yahoo.com/last-entry-encyclopaedia-britannica-book-form-070953241.html;_ylt=ApbM3tNMlXQb21fz9iHc1Eys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTRhdDdlYXAwBG1pdANTZWN0aW9uTGlzdCBGUCBUZWNobm9sb2d5BHBrZwM2M2IzMTc3YS02N2EyLTNjZGQtYjYyYy1iODhjMTRjZjg1ZmEEcG9zAzIEc2VjA01lZGlhU2VjdGlvbkxpc3QEdmVyA2ViN2E1ZTRmLTZkZTEtMTFlMS1iZTVjLTY4M2YzMTNjNzhjMg--;_ylg=X3oDMTFrM25vcXFyBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnMEdGVzdAM-;_ylv=3

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The Encyclopedia Britannica
Editors Have Their Say

"That big print set will pass into history, but the future it gives way to will be bright.
"For 244 years, the thick volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica have stood on the shelves of homes, libraries, and businesses everywhere, a source of enlightenment as well as comfort to their owners and users around the world.

"They’ve always been there. Year after year. Since 1768. Every. Single. Day.
But not forever.

"Today we’ve announced that we will discontinue the 32-volume printed edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica when our current inventory is gone.

"A momentous event? In some ways, yes; the set is, after all, nearly a quarter of a millennium old. But in a larger sense this is just another historical data point in the evolution of human knowledge.

"For one thing, the encyclopedia will live on—in bigger, more numerous, and more vibrant digital forms. And just as important, we the publishers are poised, in the digital era, to serve knowledge and learning in new ways that go way beyond reference works. In fact, we already do….

"While you’re reading, check out Britannica Online, which is entirely free for a full week beginning today."

Verbatim from:

-- http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2012/03/change/