N1: Imagine never leaving home to pay money for books and instead clicking your web browser to Yahoo. The company is scanning volumes of early American fiction, like Moby Dick and Huckleberry Finn so people can read them on their computer monitor. David Mandelbrot is Yahoo's vice president of search content.
A1: "The goal is to really in a positive way replicate the offline library experience online."
N2: Google is fighting a lawsuit filed by authors and publishers who say digitizing books on the internet violates copyright. But Yahoo can move forward with its book scanning initiative, because it's only digitizing titles that are in the public domain. Initially, Yahoo will allow internet users to read the books online for free and without having to view advertising. That concerns Francisco Gregory of Barnes and Noble on Broadway.
A2: "I would think it would affect bookstores a lot because people would be using the net to read more and save money reading books."
N3: A Publisher's Weekly 2000 book buying study found that out of eleven-hundred-forty book buyers questioned, only four said e-books would replace paper books. Peter Soter is the owner of Morningside Books on Broadway and hopes those numbers hold up as Yahoo makes books available to internet users.
NAT sound of music in bookstore starts at bed level during A3 and fades out right before N4 begins.
A3: "I don't know if people are going to go out there and do that. Some people like the actual having the book itself, some people like going to bookstores. That's what I'm hoping."
N4: A few consumers are in favor of digitized books but many like Laurie Ramsey who's come to Barnes and Noble to buy a mystery novel plan to continue shopping in bookstores.
A4: "I don't know if I could sit in front of the computer all day and read from the screen. There is something magic about just carrying the story around with you."
N5: Yahoo is banking on bookworms turning to the web. The company's David Mandelbrot says some in the book industry are supporting the digitized book effort.
A5: "We've actually heard from some bookstores that are eager to participate to better enable them to show some of the content that's available in bookstores. Members of the publishing industry also want to get involved and showcase their works through the program."
N6: Back at Barnes and Noble customer Lite Sin says he's looking forward to reading books on the web.
A6: "I love the idea basically if any object can come to you instead of you having to go out and get it, that's the best way to do things."
N7: Sin may get to view additional literature genres online. Yahoo is working to include Canadian and European works by early next year. For Columbia Radio News, I'm Alexis Ginsberg.