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A Policy Revolution for Digital Content

June 23, 2015

The poor and deteriorating state of library ebook lending in 2011 catalyzed this initiative. Waiting for publishers to take different actions would have likely worsened the conditions for libraries. A proactive policy stance must become the library community’s mainstream way of thinking and operating. This is true for ebooks and large publishers, but also more … Continue reading A Policy Revolution for Digital Content




The National Digital Platform for Libraries and Museums

The National Digital Platform for Libraries and Museums

June 11, 2015

In each of these situations, staffers work to solve local needs for their institutions’ communities and constituencies. These professionals are also contributing directly to regional and national efforts. The local work at each of these organizations is making use of and contributing to the national digital platform for libraries and museums. The national digital platform … Continue reading The National Digital Platform for Libraries and Museums


Transforming the library profession

Transforming the Library Profession

June 9, 2015

The good news for libraries is that investment in drivers of inclusive growth—public services such as schools, libraries, and telecommunications infrastructure—represents a critically important risk mitigation strategy. Education and knowledge are essential to successful communities, organizations, and economies, and they represent the future for the information profession if, of course, library professionals keep pace with … Continue reading Transforming the Library Profession


Click, Click, Read

Click, Click, Read

June 4, 2015

Then, before reading, what if users had to navigate a complex registration process that could take well over an hour and create user accounts with the for-profit providers, who then try to sell them books while they browse for something to borrow? While some libraries have outsourced library services to private contractors, this approach has … Continue reading Click, Click, Read


Building out the book niches

Building Out the Book Niches

June 3, 2015

When collection budgets are squeezed and shelf space is at a premium, digital collection assets can shine … assuming they’re available and affordable. Librarian Jessamyn West wrote at librarian.net in a 2012 article “Let’s Be Honest about the Ebook Situation” that several large publishers, including Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette Book Group, refused to sell … Continue reading Building Out the Book Niches


Digital Library 2.0: Continued Expansion of the Universe

Digital Library 2.0: Continued Expansion of the Universe

June 1, 2015

Publishers put forward new, innovative business models; platform providers responded by enhancing their services; and librarians waited patiently (or sometimes not) for access to titles while their patrons did the same. It all worked out more or less the way these things should. The commercial market adjusted to digital disruption and did so because all … Continue reading Digital Library 2.0: Continued Expansion of the Universe



ALA’s DCWG, Ebooks, and Directions

May 27, 2015

Two issues came to the fore in the fall. Adobe Digital Editions experienced a privacy breach that led to unencrypted personal information being transmitted online. DCWG responded, and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) and ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) assisted with technical and policy advice. Adobe took quick action to address the … Continue reading ALA’s DCWG, Ebooks, and Directions