No more paper, Encyclopedia to go digital

By Richha Bhatnagar

If you hold Encyclopedia's print editions close to your heart, save them as mementos. The company has decided to go totally digital and will phase out its print editions. The 32 volume print edition of Encyclopedia Britannica will soon become a history. The world mourns the loss of print form of Encyclopedia.

After spending glorious 244 years in the print media, Encyclopedia Britannica has finally decided to take a leap towards the digital print of the reference book. Now, the firm is moving towards a total digital expansion. The reason for the sudden switch over is the rising competition from various websites such as Wikipedia.

The Encyclopedia Britannica was first published in Scotland in 1768. Even it is older than the United States. It is the oldest English-language encyclopedia which is still being produced. It was also voted as one of the UKs top 10 super brands in 2009.

In the early days, the firm used to sell it door-to-door. But now Encyclopedia is launched in digital form for tablet PCs and the online sales generates 85% of its revenue. Jorge Cauz president of Encyclopedia Britannica said that from several years, the sales of printed Encyclopedias have become negligible. (Read more)

The move is certain as most of the companies have been trying hard to make their presence felt in the online world. Across the globe, the online media is the fastest growing market. The considerable increase in the online readers has urged the publishers of various newspapers and magazines to make a step forward in producing the online versions of their products. The availability of high-tech gadgets such as tablet PCs and Smartphone has made it possible for the readers to access the information online.

Changes in consumer pattern and preferences have led the firm to make a move towards the online version of the book. Now the big challenge for the firm is to update the content in such short notice. (Know more)

Mr Cauz added that the printed encyclopedia becomes superseded the moment you print it while the online edition of encyclopedia can be updated at a constant rate. Most of the users also said that they prefer using the online version of the encyclopedia than the printed one. (Read more)

Doing a keyword search is easy in online mode than looking up at the index of the Britannica and then finding the appropriate volume.