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


DCL Ebook Report, May 2015

May 6, 2015

The Douglas County Libraries Pricing Comparison for May (PDF file) shows a continuing trend with library ebook prices running at an average of 4.6 times the consumer price. Also worthy of note is the fact that all 30 titles listed are available as ebooks to libraries through both 3M and OverDrive. This month’s comparison is … Continue reading DCL Ebook Report, May 2015


Big Five publishers ebook matrix

Publishers, Distributors, and Consortia

April 22, 2015

Among the Big Five, only Hachette Book Group does not offer public libraries the opportunity to license its ebooks through consortia. Hachette says it evaluates each consortium on a case-by-case basis “using criteria including number of libraries, size of population, and circulation numbers.” Some consortia have been approved. The other publishers say they license to … Continue reading Publishers, Distributors, and Consortia



Creating Curious Minds

April 8, 2015

Publisher Simon & Schuster announced it would donate a free ebook copy of Academy Award–winning producer Brian Grazer’s new book, A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life (coauthored by journalist Charles Fishman), to school and public libraries for every ebook or hardcover book sold at retail, up to 5,000 copies. The book and … Continue reading Creating Curious Minds


Steve Potash, founder and CEO of OverDrive.

Newsmaker: Steve Potash

March 27, 2015

Presumably the acquisition of OverDrive by Rakuten will strengthen OverDrive. How will that lead to a better experience for libraries as OverDrive customers and for their users? Steve Potash: The first and the most obvious win for our library and school partners is going to be more content. Because Kobo has been operating globally, we … Continue reading Newsmaker: Steve Potash



Spirits of Oz

Leading Self-Publishing Efforts in Communities

February 27, 2015

Any library can position itself to guide local authors toward becoming savvy and competent independent publishers. Ebooks and print-on-demand options leverage the strength of their platforms to reach larger audiences and make publishing possible within the library. Libraries can support the growth and autonomy of local writers by connecting them to relevant technology, tools, and … Continue reading Leading Self-Publishing Efforts in Communities


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Collections Are for Collisions

October 13, 2014

The title of that tale was The Travels and Adventures of Three Princes of Serendip. The story inspired Walpole to coin the term serendipity. Who among us has never known, how­ever trivial, a serendipitous discovery? More essentially, nearly every librarian has heard at some point in his or her career someone’s story about a serendipitous … Continue reading Collections Are for Collisions



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E-Content and First Sale

July 14, 2014

Music is the best market for forecasting potential trends. We can confidently assume that the last physical format for music, the CD, is in its twilight stage—soon to be replaced entirely by digital formats and niche markets like LPs. Starting in the late 1990s, the music industry experienced a downward sales curve that continued until … Continue reading E-Content and First Sale