In the past few days you may have noticed some unusual activity behind the circulation desk on the first floor of the Shapiro Library. You are seeing the installation and preliminary testing of the Library's new Espresso Book Machine, an exciting new addition to our suite of services.

The EBM is a book-making machine that automatically prints, binds, and trims--on demand--library-quality paperback books with 4-color covers indistinguishable from their factory made versions. The EBM will print, bind and trim a 300 page book in about 7 minutes - a little more than the amount of time it takes to get a cappuccino across the way at Bert's Cafe.

As you all know, The University of Michigan Library has invested significantly, through its partnership with Google and through its own efforts, in the digitization of its print collection. With so much effort going into getting our print books into digital form, you might well ask why we're investing in a machine that gets digital books into print form.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all solution, we believe that the best book format varies in relationship to its uses and its users. Some of the time, an electronic book -- that can be accessed any time, anywhere, and quickly searched - is exactly what we need. At other times, the ideal form of the book is a nicely bound copy that helps with sustained reading, that serves as a physical reminder of a reading experience or that can easily be passed from hand to hand. High-quality, cost-effective print is an important part of the digital future, and the Espresso Book Machine helps make it possible to connect our users with the information they need, when they need it and in the form they want it.

There are many possible services that we can provide through the EBM.
Initially, we'll be able to begin to provide affordable reprints of out-of-copyright books from the Library's collection and from resources like the Internet Archive. Over time, we anticipate offering other services such as:

* Small runs of printed books produced by classes, such as anthologies of creative writing
* Printed copies of proceedings of University conferences and events
* Printing and binding course materials
* Self-publishing for Ann Arbor authors

Library staff will be testing the EBM through the early part of the summer and learning more about both its capabilities and maintenance. We hope to have the EBM ready for demonstrations sometime in July and in full production mode by the end of the summer.