We have made progress. I know this because I now experience the condition of ebook derangement syndrome. In early 2012, the urgent questions revolved around why the Big Six wouldn’t do business with libraries or, for those publishers who did, why the terms were so unfavorable. We really focused on these issues last year and … Continue reading I’m Crazy for Ebooks
Digital Content: What’s Next, the third supplement on ebooks and digital content from American Libraries, is now available. The supplement, launched May 22, examines both the big picture and the nitty-gritty of libraries and publishing, looking at how libraries are evolving in response to the digital revolution, from taking advantage of opportunities in content creation … Continue reading New Digital Supplement on Ebooks Launches
“Every academic librarian worth her salt is embedded.” “3D printers are so hot right now.” “Are you telling me you don’t have QR code scavenger hunts at your library?” “Your library doesn’t tweet?” “But surely you have a Pinterest site!” Although I’ve been in the profession only a decade, I’ve seen plenty of hyped-up ideas … Continue reading Spare Me the Hype Cycle
A recently released email from Steve Jobs to James Murdoch of News Corporation, which owns HarperCollins, shows just how involved the late Apple executive was in developing the agency model and increasing ebook prices. Interpretation of the email varies widely, however. The March 15 New York Times said the Jobs email “reads as if one … Continue reading Steve Jobs, in the E-Library, with the Dollar Sign?
The voice on the phone sounded exhausted. “I have lost my life’s work,” the man said. He was an artist who had his paintings stored in a basement somewhere in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was November 2, 2012, four days after Hurricane Sandy hit the New Jersey coast, and the call came … Continue reading To Protect and Preserve
Today is happening very differently than I had anticipated. On behalf of the American Library Association (ALA), Alan Inouye and I had planned to trek to the Boston Public Library to celebrate the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) launch. The nearly daily announcements of new DPLA partners underscored our excitement and anticipation for the … Continue reading The DPLA Launch
Two Italian kids, planting their feet in America for the first time on Ellis Island in 1913. What had they left behind? And what lay ahead for them? It’s this photo—and others like it—that got Maura Marx into a bit of trouble. Marx is director of the effort to launch the Digital Public Library of … Continue reading A Digital Library for Everyone
“We are pleased Simon & Schuster has recognized the vital roles of libraries in supporting reading in all its formats by announcing a library e-lending pilot in New York City,” ALA President Maureen Sullivan said today in response to the publishing house’s announcement. “As we celebrate the 55th annual National Library Week, it is a … Continue reading ALA President Commends Simon & Schuster’s Entry into Library Ebook Market
The last holdout from the major trade publishers, Simon & Schuster, this morning announced the start of an ebook pilot (PDF file) with New York City public libraries. The program, which launches April 30, will make all “frontlist and backlist titles that are available as ebooks” available to libraries “simultaneous with their publication.” “We have … Continue reading Simon & Schuster Launches Library Ebook Pilot
The kerfuffle spread quite fast across tech and library blogs; Apple was censoring a comic because of some minor sexual content. “Unfortunately, because of two postage stamp–sized images of gay sex, Apple is banning tomorrow’s Saga #12 from being sold through any iOS apps,” wrote author Brian Vaughan on April 9. Only this turned out … Continue reading Apple Didn’t Censor Comic After All
On Day Two of the “Imagine. Create. Innovate.” conference, Jim Loter, director of information technology at Seattle Public Library, discussed his library’s digital content strategy and the ReadersFirst movement. While Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries, under the leadership of Jamie LaRue, has focused on independent publishers and self-published content, Seattle uses quite a number of mainstream … Continue reading Seattle’s Jim Loter Reveals His Library’s ReadersFirst Strategy
Central to the purpose of ALA’s Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (DCWG) is communication. DCWG members and staff, along with ALA leadership, engage in a wide variety of outreach activities, whether presenting at conferences or meetings, representing ALA in forums, participating in workshops, or publishing articles and reports. Since the 2013 Midwinter Meeting, ALA … Continue reading Ebooks Everywhere
