ebooks Archives | Page 2 of 8 | American Libraries Magazine

ALA Responds to Macmillan Letter

October 31, 2019

“Hours before the American Library Association (ALA), the Public Library Association and allies were to deliver more than 160,000 petition signatures opposing the planned November 1 embargo on library ebook purchases (and two months after the campaign began), Macmillan Publishers CEO John Sargent directly addressed librarians for the first time. Unfortunately, the letter misrepresents ALA’s longstanding and good-faith … Continue reading ALA Responds to Macmillan Letter →

New ALA Report Cites Abusive Pricing, Denial and Delay of Sales to Libraries by Major Publishers

October 24, 2019

“By outright denying or delaying library access to digital content, dominant actors in digital markets endanger America’s competitiveness and our nation’s cultural heritage,” ALA President Wanda Brown said in an October 24 statement. “Everyone who reads, writes, performs, or sells creative works is harmed when libraries are unable to purchase and deliver content for all … Continue reading New ALA Report Cites Abusive Pricing, Denial and Delay of Sales to Libraries by Major Publishers →

#eBooksForAll Update

By Alison Marcotte | October 22, 2019

King County (Wash.) Library System (KCLS)—which has led the US in digital lending for five consecutive years, with more than 4.8 million checkouts of ebooks and digital audio—has decided to protest against Macmillan Publishers’ decision to embargo ebook titles. “We don’t like them dictating our business model. They’re making a business decision, and so are … Continue reading #eBooksForAll Update →

Wrapping Up Digital Book World 2019

By Stephanie Hlywak | September 13, 2019

On September 12, Burleigh discussed the robust ebook and audiobook lending ecosystem. Rakuten Overdrive began servicing libraries in 2003, before publishers were fully on board with selling to the market. Fast forward 16 years, and Burleigh said one of the best things libraries do for publishers and authors is to offer discoverability. For every borrower … Continue reading Wrapping Up Digital Book World 2019 →

From left: Patrick Losinski, CEO, Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library; ALA Executive Director Mary Ghikas; Ramiro S. Salazar, San Antonio Public Library director and president of the Public Library Association; and Kent Oliver, director of Nashville (Tenn.) Public Library. (Photo: Emily Wagner)

ALA Announces #eBooksForAll Campaign

By Steve Zalusky | September 12, 2019

Starting November 1, Macmillan will limit libraries to purchasing one copy of each new ebook and impose an eight-week embargo on buying additional copies. ALA Executive Director Mary Ghikas said Macmillan’s new policy reveals a disturbing trend. ALA, which has been at the forefront of the ebook lending issue for much of the past decade, … Continue reading ALA Announces #eBooksForAll Campaign →

Update on Ebook Advocacy

By Alan S. Inouye | September 9, 2019

ALA President Wanda K. Brown said in a July 25 statement, “When a library serving many thousands has only a single copy of a new title in ebook format, it’s the library—not the publisher—that feels the heat. It’s the local library that’s perceived as being unresponsive to community needs.” While none of the largest publishers … Continue reading Update on Ebook Advocacy →

OverDrive supports library-driven digital book clubs through publisher negotiation and marketing materials.

Bringing Book Clubs Online

By Carrie Smith | September 3, 2019

OverDrive Digital Book Clubs Libraries that have digital collections from OverDrive are automatically part of the company’s global ebook club, the Big Library Read, which makes select titles available for unlimited checkouts for a limited period three times a year. In addition to this large-scale reading program, the company also provides support for community-wide and … Continue reading Bringing Book Clubs Online →

ALA Statement on New Macmillan Library Lending Model

July 25, 2019

The American Library Association (ALA) denounces the new library ebook lending model announced today by Macmillan Publishers. Under the new model, a library may purchase one copy upon release of a new title in ebook format, after which the publisher will impose an eight-week embargo on additional copies of that title sold to libraries. “Macmillan … Continue reading ALA Statement on New Macmillan Library Lending Model →

illustration of an ebook surrounded by clouds with the Big Five publisher logos

The Future of Ebook Pricing

By Alan S. Inouye | July 9, 2019

Within the last few weeks, two of the largest trade publishers—Hachette Book Group (HBG) and Simon & Schuster (S&S)—made significant changes in their terms for libraries. These recent developments follow changes to the pricing model at Penguin Random House (PRH) last October, and the recent imposition of a 90-day embargo on selected digital audio titles … Continue reading The Future of Ebook Pricing →

Total BooX keeps lending costs down by charging only for pages that are read.

Ebooks Made Easy

By Carrie Smith | March 1, 2019

Total BooX Total BooX offers patrons unlimited access to ebooks on its platform and a unique payment model: Libraries pay only for material that’s read, whether that means a page or an entire book. By transferring ownership of the book directly to the patron, this model bypasses the high prices libraries sometimes have to pay … Continue reading Ebooks Made Easy →

E-Content Challenges Ahead

By Alan S. Inouye | December 14, 2018

As ALA’s senior director of public policy and government relations, I joined ALA president Loida Garcia-Febo and Sari Feldman, senior policy fellow and past president of ALA and executive director of the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library, for separate meetings with Hachette Book Group, Penguin Random House, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, the Book … Continue reading E-Content Challenges Ahead →

Evolution in the Library Ebook Market

By Alan S. Inouye | September 6, 2018

PRH has shifted from a perpetual licensing model (by which each copy can be loaned indefinitely) to a time-limited model. Starting in October, licenses for any PRH ebook titles that public, school, and special libraries acquire will expire after two years. The terms for academic libraries are unchanged. No embargos will be imposed—all library access … Continue reading Evolution in the Library Ebook Market →

Latest Library Links

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Amy Carlton writes: “In the closing session of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2021 Virtual Conference on April 16, data journalist Mona Chalabi explained how she uses complex and sometimes flawed data—including the dry statistics buried in the appendix of a PDF or a government website—to visually express stories that focus on the humanity behind the numbers.”

AL: The Scoop, Apr. 19
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Over the years, Roberta Saltzman accumulated 700 Jewish cookbooks, with a particular focus on community cookbooks from small-town America. Despite being chief assistant librarian at New York Public Library’s Dorot Jewish Division, Saltzman used her own money to build her collection, which she donated to her workplace before her death. Now, at more than 2,500 books, the collection is likely the largest in existence, drawing researchers from around the world.

Gastro Obscura, March 24
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M. E. Hilliard writes: “Many a mystery novel featuring an amateur sleuth places a librarian in that role. With good reason—outside of law enforcement, no profession lends itself to the role of detective more readily. Librarianship requires a combination of temperament and education that produces a professional with a powerful curiosity and the skill set to satisfy it, no matter how obscure the fact we seek. Though often written off as unassuming, cardigan-wearing bookworms, our jobs require traits more often associated with our hard-boiled colleagues in the investigation business.”

Crime Reads, Apr. 15
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Amy Carlton writes: “At the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2021 Virtual Conference on April 15, the creators of We Here, an online community for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in LIS professions and educational programs, explored the ways in which academic libraries stifle their BIPOC workers through pay and opportunity gaps, enable toxic work environments, and prevent systemic change.”

AL: The Scoop, Apr. 16
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A protest of the East Bonner County (Idaho) Library District’s mask requirement remained unfruitful, as of the latest board meeting April 12. A few dozen protesters began gathering around 4 p.m. at the Sandpoint branch, including library board candidates Kathy Rose and Jalon Peters. Protesters had hoped that following a change.org petition that garnered 365 signatures over roughly five days, board trustees would rescind the library’s mask requirement.

Bonner County (Idaho) Daily Bee, Apr. 13
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Reuters will begin charging for access to its website as it tries to capture a slice of the digital subscription business. The company, one of the largest news organizations in the world, announced the new paywall on April 15, as well as a redesigned website aimed at a “professional” audience wanting business, financial, and general news. After registration and a free preview period, a subscription to Reuters.com will cost $34.99 a month, the same as Bloomberg’s digital subscription. The Wall Street Journal’s digital subscription costs $38.99 a month, while The New York Times costs $18.42 monthly.

New York Times, Apr. 15
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Cape Town, South Africa, ordered precautionary evacuations of communities living along the edges of city landmark Table Mountain on April 19 as firefighters struggled to contain a fire that gutted historical landmarks, including the oldest working windmill in South Africa and a library housing African antiquities at the University of Cape Town. ALA’s Disaster Relief Fund is supporting the recovery and reestablishment of the library.

Washington Post, Apr. 19

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