Encyclopaedia Britannica announced this week that, after 244 years, it will no longer produce a print edition, and is going all-in on digital. The 32-volume printed edition of the encyclopaedia will be discontinued once the current inventory is finished, according to Britannica.
In an official blog post, entitled Change. It's ok. Really , the encyclopaedia creators say of the announcement: “A momentous event? In some ways, yes; the set is, after all, nearly a quarter of a millennium old. But in a larger sense this is just another historical data point in the evolution of human knowledge.”
The creators maintain the complete focus on digital platforms will keep the Encyclopaedia Britannica product going. “We the publishers are poised, in the digital era, to serve knowledge and learning in new ways that go way beyond reference works. In fact, we already do.”
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica editor-in-chief Dale Hoiberg, the publisher has been in the process of transitioning from print to digital since 1981, when it created the first digital encyclopaedia for LexisNexis; and in 1989, the first multimedia CD; and in 1994, the first encyclopaedia on the Internet.
“Over the following decades, with the birth and then exploding popularity of the personal computer, the Internet, CD-ROMs and DVDs, smartphones, and tablets, Britannica quickly embraced digital publishing.”
Digitally inclined
The online version of the encyclopaedia has been moving towards a more Wikipedia-like model that allows for collaborations from contributors online. This is still not as open as Wikipedia, in which anyone can contribute, and articles are vetted by volunteer editors.
“Our mission is to meet the needs and expectations of users, which have changed in the electronic world. Updated and refreshed coverage in all subject areas is a basic requirement, of course, but so is broader coverage of contemporary people and events,” says Hoiberg, adding that this process will be easier to do electronically.
While Encyclopaedia Britannica used to rely solely on print for its revenue, in recent years the publisher's print entities have only accounted for a reported 1% of its total revenue. Of the 2010 edition of the encyclopaedia set, it has also been reported that only 8 000 sets were sold. Leaving 4 000 copies still available.
Competitive pressure
While the open, crowd-sourced rival Wikipedia has been cited by many as a major cause for the decline of the circulation of the Britannica printed edition, Microsoft's Encarta, and the way in which it made PCs appealing to families played a major role in the encyclopaedia stalwart having to change direction.
As noted by Wired, Britannica already went bankrupt in 1996. Wikipedia was only founded in 2001. Wikipedia does, however, remain a major threat, with its more than 3.9 million articles, as opposed to Britannica's 120 000, as well as the fact that it's free. Users have to subscribe to Britannica's online services, which include videos, mobile services and original documents.
While Wikipedia is often criticised for its errors and inaccuracies, it has become increasingly reliable and accepted as a primary source of information.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, however, maintains that its expert content and contributors set its content apart. The publisher has also focused increasingly on creating specialised products for education purposes.
Completed transition
Michael Ross, senior VP and GM of Britannica Digital Learning, says: “Over the past 10 years, Britannica has diversified its product offerings in order to respond directly to the changing needs of the education market. Britannica has developed dynamic Web sites for classrooms and libraries, and specific products on all subjects and curriculum areas.”
President of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Jorge Cauz, says the publisher currently has more than 100 million users of its main site, educational sites and apps.
“By concentrating our efforts on our digital properties, we can continuously update our content and further expand the number of topics and the depth with which they are treated without the space constraints of the print set,” says Cauz.
“In fact, today our digital database is much larger than what we can fit in the print set. And it is up to date because we can revise it within minutes anytime we need to, and we do it many times each day.”
“We have completed our transition from print publisher of the Encyclopaedia Britannica to a digital provider of knowledge and e-learning solutions,” concludes Cauz.
In an effort to draw in more online users, Encyclopaedia Britannica online will be available for free to all users for the next week.
Click here to see an infographic of Britannica's digital evolution.
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