Speakers at the Digital Content Working Group panel, from left: Trevor Owens, senior program officer for the national digital platform at the Institute of Museum and Library Services; DCWG cochairs Erika Linke and Carolyn Anthony; Michael Blackwell, director of the St. Mary’s County (Md.) Libraries; and Todd Carpenter, executive director of National Information Standards Organization.

Digital Content Working Group at Annual Conference

July 22, 2016

Michael Blackwell, director of the St. Mary’s County (Md.) Libraries, urged the library community to demand simplicity from content providers and platform developers by putting the user at the heart of the experience and by providing genuine integration of e-content. The e-content field is dynamic, and just as some standards and practices are implemented, new … Continue reading Digital Content Working Group at Annual Conference


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Making Progress with Digital Content

April 14, 2016

Carolyn Anthony, director of Skokie (Ill.) Public Library and cochair of American Library Association’s Digital Content Working Group (DCWG), kicked things off. She shared insights gained during meetings with major publishers in December 2015. For instance, publishers generally continue to show greater willingness to provide better pricing and more flexible licensing terms. Penguin Random House … Continue reading Making Progress with Digital Content


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Internet Policy Task Force Notes Library Copyright Concerns

February 5, 2016

The task force consists of Commerce representatives from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Patent and Trademark Office, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the International Trade Administration. Formed in 2010 to “conduct a comprehensive review of the nexus between privacy policy, copyright, global free flow of information, cybersecurity, and innovation in … Continue reading Internet Policy Task Force Notes Library Copyright Concerns


DCWG cochair Carolyn Anthony introduces the panel (from left, DCWG cochair Erika Linke; Mark Kuyper, executive director of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG); Andrew Albanese, senior writer and features editor for Publishers Weekly (PW); and Kelvin Watson, chief innovation and technology officer, Queens (N.Y.) Library).

The Ebook Glass Is Half Full

January 29, 2016

The panel was hosted by DCWG cochairs Erika Linke, associate dean of Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, and Carolyn Anthony, director of the Skokie (Ill.) Public Library. The panelists were Mark Kuyper, executive director of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG); Andrew Albanese, senior writer and features editor for Publishers Weekly (PW); and Kelvin Watson, chief … Continue reading The Ebook Glass Is Half Full


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Penguin Random House Ebooks Now Licensed for Perpetual Access

January 20, 2016

As in the past, the license is for one circulation at a time per copy. Previously, Penguin had imposed a one-year limit on library licenses, requiring the library to pay again for the title. Prior to the merger of Penguin and Random House in July 2013, the two publishers had entirely different terms for library … Continue reading Penguin Random House Ebooks Now Licensed for Perpetual Access


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What’s in Store for Ebooks?

January 4, 2016

What accounts for the sudden and rapid growth? One answer: the introduction of Amazon’s Kindle in 2007. In response to the disruption that ensued—specifically for library ebook sales and lending—ALA established the a working group on libraries and digital issues (now known as the Digital Content Working Group, or DCWG) to help navigate the Association … Continue reading What’s in Store for Ebooks?


ALA leaders meet with representatives from the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO), from left: ALA President Sari Feldman; Lisa Rosenblum, chief librarian, Brooklyn Public Library; Milan Hughston, chief of library and museum archives at The Museum of Modern Art; James G. Neal, university librarian emeritus at Columbia University; Kelvin Watson, chief innovation and technology officer, Queens Library; and Nate Hill, executive director, METRO.

ALA, Publishers Talk Ebook Lending Terms for Libraries

December 7, 2015

ALA highlighted the valuable role of libraries in the publishing and reading ecosystems and thus why more flexible and favorable terms for library ebook lending are in everyone’s best interest. This visit represents ALA’s ninth such delegation effort over the last several years. Libraries have a prominent role in the discovery of books and authors, … Continue reading ALA, Publishers Talk Ebook Lending Terms for Libraries



ALA leaders gathered in New York to meet with several publishers. Back row, from left: ALA Past President Courtney Young; Erika Linke, DCWG cochair and Associate Dean and Director of Research and Academic Services at Carnegie Mellon University Libraries; DCWG cochair and director of Skokie (Ill.) Public Library Carolyn Anthony; and ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels. Front row, from left: Julie Todaro, dean of library services at Austin (Tex.) Community College and 2016-2017 ALA President; OITP Director Alan Inouye; ALA President Sari Feldman; and OITP Program Director Carrie Russell.

ALA Responds to Penguin Random House Ebook Licensing Announcement

December 3, 2015

The new structure will phase out the Penguin model of one-year lending and reduce the price for some previous Random House titles with a $65 cap on all Penguin Random House e-titles starting January 1, 2016. “Libraries will be pleased that the combined Penguin Random House license will ensure perpetual access to e-titles, and all will … Continue reading ALA Responds to Penguin Random House Ebook Licensing Announcement