After decades of strong leadership, Livermore (Calif.) Public Library, where I am a trustee, now has an opening at the top. Library Director Susan Gallinger has retired and we are faced with the challenge of replacing her. We spent the last board meeting with the city manager discussing the characteristics of her replacement. We talked about the … Continue reading What About the Children?
In every town, there are probably community members who have written novels, poetry, and other works whose writing has never seen the light of day. There are probably others who have the creative potential to write the great American novel, but are daunted by the idea of getting it published. Those works, both written and … Continue reading Community Creativity
More than 700 librarians, publishers, and media representatives participated in the American Library Association’s Virtual Town Hall on Ebooks October 23. ALA President Barbara Stripling led a discussion that highlighted ALA’s successes from the past two years and the Association’s plans to address the challenges ahead. View the archived town hall and download the Power … Continue reading ALA Moves Forward in Ebook Arena
This month Macmillan will begin offering its entire ebook backlist to libraries, Publishers Weekly reported October 17. Macmillan first entered the library ebook market in January 2013 by offering a pilot of its mystery titles under the Minotaur imprint, then expanded the pilot to romance titles in June. With its third foray into the library ebook … Continue reading Macmillan Expands Library Ebook Lending
Want to learn more about the current digital publishing climate or hear about efforts made by the American Library Association to advocate for library interests in the book world? Register now for ALA’s Virtual Town Hall on Ebooks, a free interactive online session that will take place from 11 a.m. to noon Central time on Wednesday, October … Continue reading Register Now for ALA’s First Virtual Town Hall on Ebooks
The Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded the American Library Association a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant to establish a Center for the Future of Libraries. Its goal is to provide library planners and community leaders with information resources and tools that will help them better understand the trends reshaping their … Continue reading A New Center for the Future of Libraries
The October 2013 Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries Report on ebook pricing for libraries suggests that things may be looking up for libraries. Of the top 25 ebook bestsellers from Digital Book World, only six are not available for libraries as ebooks. Two of the six are self-published books of an adult nature. (See the full … Continue reading DCL Ebook Report for October 2013
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Wasn’t it considerate of the folks in Chicago to arrange for that unexpected (and most welcome) stretch of lovely, clement weather? I was steeling myself for the typical onslaught, packing the sweater for icily over-air-conditioned meeting rooms, only to be greeted by blue skies and 70 degrees. And a couple million hockey fans. So I’m … Continue reading The Toxic Middle
I just returned from New York City as part of an ALA delegation that discussed libraries and ebooks with publishers and related organizations. In the past two years, ALA has made enough of these trips (8) so that I now know the city by publishing industry landmarks: Oh, we need to go to the Association … Continue reading The Wind at Our Backs
In May 2013, when I started to track the Big Six and their library lending terms, there were a lot of changes taking place in the publishing world. I assumed that I’d be issuing updates at least monthly. Instead, we entered a time of limited change until September 25, when Penguin resumed licensing its ebooks … Continue reading The Big Six Publishers and Library Lending: An Update
For September 2013, the Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries ebook price report takes a look at the ability of libraries to purchase ebook bestsellers on the New York Times list as of September 3, 2013. (See the full PDF-formatted report here.) Of the 15 titles in the first fiction list, OverDrive doesn’t carry nine and 3M doesn’t carry six. Of … Continue reading DCL Ebook Report for September 2013
Most libraries currently feel stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to providing access to all the materials their patrons seek. Over the years, the prices of content have soared, often well beyond the rate of inflation. At the same time, library budgets have been slashed, which further degrades purchasing power. … Continue reading Libraries as Publishers
