Penguin Group USA revealed today that, as of April 2, it will remove the six-month embargo on ebook titles licensed to libraries and instead offer new titles immediately after they are released in the consumer market. Other pilot terms are expected to continue, including a one-year expiration date on ebooks licensed to libraries and library … Continue reading Penguin Revisits Library Pilot Terms
Long before there were such devices as smartphones and tablets—or personal computing, for that matter—women in librarianship were bringing reading material to people beyond the four walls of a physical library. As Women’s History Month draws to a close this March, American Libraries celebrates the library workers, most of them women, whose mobile devices for … Continue reading Women, Mobility, and Libraries
Those dirty thieves pirating digital music are killing the whole music industry—or at least that is the reality that the music industry would have you believe. But can the music industry actually back up those claims with evidence? A new study by the European Commission Joint Research Centre, “Digital Music Consumption on the Internet: Evidence … Continue reading Does Piracy Impact Sales? Not How You Might Think!
In many localities, youth groups and community organizations are creating alternatives to mainstream journalism using the rich resources of digital media. Critical-thinking skills and news literacy (the ability to distinguish fact from fiction, opinion, or propaganda) are essential tools for students and other citizens who are trying to collect, analyze, and disseminate accurate information to … Continue reading Teaching News Literacy
“Happiness is contagious.” This missive, which is one of the many kernels of wisdom I jotted down at SXSW, stands out as I pour through my notes and reflect on the powerful, transformative experience I just had in Austin. The quote was about workplace happiness, but I saw it play out all around me and … Continue reading Librarians and Happenstance Voyagers, SXSW 2013, Day Four and Five Wrap-up
Roger Rosen, CEO of the educational house Rosen Publishing, calls himself a publishing brat. “I grew up in the business, packing books as a little boy and attending ALAconferences with my parents.” Lately, Rosen’s been making news as one of the first publishers to figure out a pricing and delivery structure for ebooks and databases, … Continue reading An Interview with Roger Rosen
Pity the poor library director, whose job description includes ensuring the work gets done, the patrons are happy, the powers that be (trustees, city managers, regents, deans, principals, school board members, city council members, county commissioners, etc.) are also happy, and library employees are happy. Oh, I forgot one thing: Do all this with a … Continue reading Too Eager to Please
All around us, libraries of all types are discovering that as they look outward, they can make a dramatic difference in their communities. Long recognized as trusted educational and cultural institutions, libraries that more actively engage with their communities discover innovative services, increase their relevance, and build deeper community support. Last September, ALA announced the … Continue reading Community Building
One of the key characteristics of digital content is that it is licensed under contract law as opposed to being purchased with first sale rights from copyright law. While being the cause of great pain for libraries and ebooks so far, this double-edged sword can swing the other way and cut through annoying license restrictions … Continue reading A Simple Digital License
Caroline Kennedy has been a lifelong advocate for reading, literacy, and libraries. Her career has included work with the New York City Department of Education and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Most recently, she spoke at the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting and served this year as honorary chair of National Library Week. Kennedy has … Continue reading Newsmaker: Caroline Kennedy
A multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed in June 2012 by Edwin Mellen Press against McMaster University’s Associate Librarian Dale Askey came to light in mid-February. The suit alleges that Askey committed libel while criticizing Edwin Mellen Press on a personal blog while he was a librarian at Kansas State University in Manhattan. Edwin Mellen Press is seeking … Continue reading ALA President Responds to Publisher Lawsuit against Librarian
In a lawsuit filed in New York last week, three independent bookstores are seeking relief from what they refer to as monopolistic practices by Amazon and the Big Six publishers regarding ebooks. At issue is the digital rights management (DRM) that locks ebooks purchased through Amazon to the Kindle platform. According to a February 20 … Continue reading Independent Bookstores vs. Amazon and the Big Six
