Improving Access to Scouting Publications

It is heartening to see that the BSA is increasing the number of publications offered in digital form.

I am particularly appreciative of having the Guide To Safe Scouting, Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures, Insignia Guide, Advancement and Awards, and many other resources that I can easily search and reference.

Hopefully the full library of Scouting Publications will be available in digital form soon. Digital media costs less monetary and environmentally to produce, distribute and update. Over the last couple of decades I have regrettably disposed of a couple of hundred outdated merit badge books, manuals and various other publications.

Even though it may make some of us old-timers wince the day that digital readers like the iPad, Kindle and other devices are as ubiquitous as paper books are now is not that many years away. We'll see them at our meetings, on our camp outs and at our summer camps. I have several resources on my iPod Touch that are becoming an integral part of my work as a Scoutmaster.

Theoretically media wants to be free. People find a way to reproduce and distribute audio, video and print media despite the see-saw battle of attempts to control it. Our current challenge is to develop a way to give the producer of media remuneration for their efforts.

This blog and podcast are good examples. I have a very thin stream of income through the use of Google Adwords and Amazon links on the blog that basically offsets the monthly fees I incur from Typepad and the the other associated costs. I don't realize more than pennies on the hour for the time required to research, write, produce and edit the blog and podcast (let alone answering email). But my intention remains that all of this (hopefully valuable) information be freely distributed.

I am heartened that the BSA is moving more publications to digital form and I'd certainly advocate for a concerted effort towards the goal of having all of the publications 'on line'. I doubt BSA publications produce net revenue for our national organization, nor do I know the cost of converting them to digital media, but I would happily pay an annual subscription fee to have access to these publications in digital form. Would you?

Comments

[ASM W. H.]

Sign me up!! I can't imagine a Troop that wouldn't love to have the MB booklets available via electronic subscription.

The lastest revision of the booklets is no doubt already in digital format, it would just need to be transferred to some universal (somewhat) format.

LOVE reading your page and listing to your podcasts.

Thanks!