I’d also argue that there has always been a spirit of sharing and collaboration – indeed one might argue that this was much stronger in the days of eLib than it is currently.

Openness is an interesting issue. I think libraries have traditionally been open with their catalogues in the sense that they would let you search them (if you adopted the right standard) but not in the sense that they’d give you a copy of all the records. Likewise, museums have been luke warm in their willingness to open their digital content up to the wider world. I wonder if these attitudes have really changed much over the years?

So I think any positive movement has to come from a distinct change in attitude towards the value of open content – and that this has to come from the top down and be reflected in the ways institutions are measured. I don’t think that ‘sharing and collaboration’ are (or have ever been) an issue.

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