Bodo (2015)
Contents
Source Details
Bodo (2015) | |
Title: | In the shadow of Gigapedia: quantitative analysis of shadow library usage |
Author(s): | Bodó, B. |
Year: | 2015 |
Citation: | |
Link(s): | Definitive , Open Access |
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About the Data | |
Data Description: | |
Data Type: | Primary data |
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Industry(ies): | |
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Cross Country Study?: | Yes |
Comparative Study?: | Yes |
Literature review?: | No |
Government or policy study?: | No |
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Abstract
This paper first reconstructs the growth of the biggest piratical online scientific text collection through an examination of changes in its catalogue over time, and evaluates how much of the catalogue is accessible through legal alternatives. Then, we discuss the demand for books on these sites, based on log data acquired from one of the mirrors of this shadow library. We take a look at what is being downloaded from the library and by whom. The third part connects the supply and demand discussions to reflect on the wider impact of these shadow libraries on libraries, higher education institutions, publishers and authors.
Main Results of the Study
We find that the greatest demand for downloads from the Russian mega pirate library Aleph correspond to the most relevant recent publications which are also often the most expensive.Other factors like availability on Kindle made little impact on downloads.
Policy Implications as Stated By Author
Coverage of Study
Datasets
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