French encyclopedia Larousse has been around for a century and a half in print. But now they’re trying a new venture – an online version of its encyclopedia that would be akin to Wikipedia – but with a difference, according to The Independent.
Like its model it would be free-access, and would encourage contributions. But whereas Wikipedia’s writers are anonymous, and sometimes unreliable, Larousse’s writers would have their names on the articles, which would then be protected.
The company plans to have 10,000 images and 150,000 articles from its print version available, and plans to uses sources like National Geographic for video clips.
Isabelle Jeuge-Maynart, Larousse’s managing director, told the newspaper:
"By becoming a contributor to Larousse, you become associated with a publisher of prestige, recognized for the seriousness and reliability of its content. Respect for an author is central to our concept. That should reassure … experts who are at the moment hesitant to publish their work on the Internet."
It’s an interesting turnabout. Just as Larousse heads online, Wikipedia is making a move in the opposite direction, having signed a deal to produce a print version.
