Pioneering a New Business Model

for Electronic Publishing

The main objective of this project is to design and implement an innovative business model for the e-book supply chain and to test its standards and protocols through building a prototype of Print-On-Demand.

The current universal access to and use of the Internet and other digital information technologies has transformed many aspects of the ability to communicate data, ideas and results more quickly, broadly, and openly than was possible through traditional print publications in the past. Electronic publishing and Print-on-Demand (POD) have created fundamental changes in the production, management, dissemination, and use of all types of information.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina is partnering with one of the Egyptian publishers (Dar el Sherouk) to implement a new model using Print-On-Demand system inside the library, where Bibliotheca Alexandrina will act as a retailer (POD outlet). This will elaborate on the phase of Print-On-Demand of the model above and will enable to test all of the necessary requirements for generalization of the concept in a later phase.

Upon the accomplishment and operation of this prototype, the next step would be to install similar units in other Arabic countries to test the model developed.