Archives

A Publisher’s View

May 29, 2012

Librarians and publishers are not effectively communicating with each other. There, I said it. Many of us already know this to be true, but as someone who comes from the publishing side, I came to this realization during my yearlong process of selling ebooks across the country and through my many conversations with library directors, … Continue reading A Publisher’s View


A Digital Dilemma: Ebooks and Users’ Rights

May 29, 2012

Last September, libraries and librarians around the country welcomed the announcement that OverDrive and Amazon had reached an agreement that would allow Kindle owners to borrow books through their public libraries. The new arrangement allowed libraries to meet a pent-up patron demand for Kindle ebook loans. But librarians and users alike learned that the deal … Continue reading A Digital Dilemma: Ebooks and Users’ Rights


Digital Working Group Pushes for Expanded Ebook Access

May 24, 2012

If out of frustration comes new ideas, creativity, and entrepreneurship, then ALA’s Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (DCWG) is due its lightning-bolt moment. Following the 2012 ALA Midwinter Meeting in January, there were optimistic signs for future dialogue with publishers over the crucial issue of library access to ebooks, and the newly formed DCWG … Continue reading Digital Working Group Pushes for Expanded Ebook Access


Navigating the Ebook Revolution

May 23, 2012

It’s here. Long heralded, the e-revolution has finally arrived in the form of rapid adoption of e-reader devices. It seems safe to assume that by the end of 2012, public libraries may be directing as much as 20% of their collection budgets to digital content. By the end of three years, it may be closer … Continue reading Navigating the Ebook Revolution


Lessons from the Typewriter

May 23, 2012

For the first time in decades, we are living through a moment in which the book is being reenvisioned and reenlivened, creating richer cultural expressions that paradoxically may be less universally accessible than before. The 21st-century author can choose from an array of writing tools. Computers allow us to create stories much like those in … Continue reading Lessons from the Typewriter