This E-Content blog is your exclusive, inside source to the workings of the new ALA Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (DCWG). In addition to general updates I will be writing as a member of the DCWG, other section/division representatives will share their takes on the many issues surrounding digital content. This theme of sharing diverse perspectives is foundational to the working group. As ALA President Molly Raphael explained, a key purpose of the DCWG is to pull together the different groups within ALA that are working on digital content to ensure that their efforts are aligned. The working group has a two-year charge, but Raphael noted that the need for some group to remain focused on digital issues would likely extend into the future. To guarantee continuity within the next two years, however, ALA President-Elect Maureen Sullivan is taking an active role in DCWG work as well.
On a more immediate note, ALA will be meeting next week with Simon & Schuster, Macmillan and Penguin; the meetings with Simon & Schuster and Macmillan include the CEOs. Keith Michael Fiels, executive director of ALA, is looking forward to these meetings as a chance to push back against the three major publishers that are not offering ebooks to libraries. The “dialog begins with saying you need to deal with libraries and you need to do it as soon as possible,” Fiels stated.
The first meeting of the DCWG featured lively discussion about topics including accessibility, publishing, and licensing models. These, along with internal and external communication and the library as content creator, will form six subgroups to DCWG. As the subgroups begin tackling issues, they will be seeking additional input from members and may also look for additional participants. For more information on the formation of the DCWG and initial efforts, the first report to ALA Council appears below.
2011–2012 ALA CD#30 2012 ALA Midwinter
DIGITAL CONTENT AND LIBRARIES WORKING GROUP REPORT
This report was written prior to the Digital Content and Libraries Working Group meeting held January 21, 2012 and reflects the proposed plans and work generated from conversations held from August 2011 to January 2012.
In June 2011, ALA Council requested that the President establish a working group bringing together the expertise and experience of member leaders to advise the Association on matters related to digital content (attachment 1).
Status report:
- Working Group Appointed. Molly Raphael appointed the 25 members of the Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (the roster and other information are posted on ALA Connect under the Digital Content and Libraries Working Group community at http://connect.ala.org/node/159669). Sari Feldman (Cuyahoga County Public Library) and Robert Wolven (Columbia University) are the cochairs and Maureen Sullivan is the Executive Board liaison. The Group has met virtually and met for the first time here in Dallas.
- Articles on E-books. For Midwinter 2012, American Libraries published a special January/February supplement on ebooks that includes an introduction by Molly Raphael and Keith Michael Fiels and four articles. The articles were published online beginning on January 11, 2012 and the print special edition is available on-site. A digital supplement to the May/June 2012 issues of American Libraries on digital content is now in the works.
- Publisher Engagement. In September 2011, Molly Raphael, Keith Michael Fiels, and Alan Inouye (OITP Director) met with the President of the Association of American Publishers (AAP), which resulted in an ongoing relationship with AAP. Sari Feldman and Bob Wolven hosted a small reception with publishers on Saturday night at the conference. An ALA delegation that includes Molly Raphael, Maureen Sullivan, and Keith Michael Fiels will be meeting with MacMillan, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin in New York on January 31 and February 1. Finally, Jim Neal and Molly Raphael (with Anthony Marx, president of the New York Public Library) will participate on a panel at the AAP General Annual Meeting in March.
- Staff and Unit Coordination. The effort to coordinate the relevant activities across the Association has begun. Alan Inouye, the program manager for the Initiative, has met with staff from many units and already has engaged some of them on specific components of the work.
- Analysis from Economists. Drs. Stanley Besen and Sheila Kirby are developing a white paper for ALA on ebook economic models and licensing. ALA provided comments on a draft version.
- Talking Points. Preliminary talking points on ebook lending and principles for digital lending were developed in the fall. These materials will be reviewed and revised by the Working Group.
- E-Content Blog. American Libraries established a new blog on e-content issues to provide a mechanism for rapid response. Christopher Harris, a school librarian and member of the Working Group, serves as the editor of this blog.
- E-Content News Dissemination. American Libraries Online created a dedicated section on E-content issues in AL Direct.
- Transforming Libraries Website. The primary repository for materials related to digital content and libraries will be on the transforming libraries website, managed by the ALA Library.
The Working Group will conduct the majority of their work through subgroups (which are in the process of being appointed). Each subgroup will produce a charge and goals. The sample topics listed below only are intended to help clarify the general scope of the subgroups sufficiently so that members could volunteer for them.
- Subgroup 1: Obtaining/accessing digital content from intermediary organizations
Sample topics: Business models, license agreements, trends in publishing and the information industry- Subgroup 2: Generating digital content through libraries and allied organizations
Sample topics: Large-scale digitization projects (DPLA, Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, etc.), digitization of hidden/smaller collections, libraries as facilitators of publishing- Subgroup 3: Accessibility
Sample topics: Access for people with disabilities, accommodation of varied languages and cultures, cost of access, user interfaces- Subgroup 4: Privacy and ethics
Sample topics: Protection of borrower records, protection of user reading behavior, vendor agreements, mechanisms for ensuring that agreements are fulfilled- Subgroup 5: Communication for the library community
Sample topics: Transforming Libraries website, educational products (reports, articles, etc.), presentations, conference panel and training sessions- Subgroup 6: Communication beyond the library community
Sample topics: External messages, articles, presentations, other public outreach activitiesThe term for the Working Group is two years.