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Library Renewal Blog
Alternative E-Book Lending Models Gaining Ground and Harry Potter Meets Amazon’s Lending Library: Your Weekly Libraries and E-Content News Summary
May 11, 2012
Posted in: News, Uncategorized
The Douglas County Library’s e-book lending model has been gaining some traction and attention. The library system negotiates and buys e-books directly from publishers, and then hosts those books on its own platform. This platform duplicates many of the functions behind the scenes that are used by other e-content “providers” to libraries, including the dominant vendor in this marketplace, OverDrive. The model developed by DCL, which is referred to by some as a sort of OverDrive free OverDrive clone (both adding and lacking some features when compared to OverDrive), is now being considered by other libraries. DCL is partnering with other libraries in Colorado to provide information on how libraries can do what DCL has done. The interest in DCL’s lending model indicates that the current state of library e-book lending is in need of change and even as a partial solution is encouraging in many ways.
Another alternative to the current e-book lending model was presented at the beginning of the month. Bilbary, an e-book distribution platform that currently sells e-books has made a deal with two trade publishers to lend e-books and not just sell them. Founder Tim Coates noted that “All our rentals will be direct to consumer, but when we partner with a library service they may choose to subsidize the cost from their own funds so the rental becomes a free loan to the reader.” Coates mentioned that he has been approached by one of the Big Six publishers wanting to know more about this lending model.
This week Amazon announced that they would be offering the Harry Potter e-books for free through their Kindle lending library (the full announcement can be read at TeleRead). The lending library is only available to those who belong to Amazon Prime. Amazon noted that this was an exclusive deal with Pottermore, and in the same announcement reminded readers of the difficulties that libraries face in providing access to e-books including one book per user limits, and lending time limits.
Finally, a link to an audio discussion with David Pogue (Tech Columnist at the New York Times), Bradley Graham (co-owner of Politics and Prose bookstore), and Lee Rainie (founding director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project) on radio station WAMU. This discussion focuses mainly on e-books and the effect they have on booksellers, but is still worth a listen.
Be sure to check out links to lots of other stories like these that we post on our Twitter feed and Facebook page throughout the week.
Contributing Editor Lindsay Barber writes our weekly e-content news posts each week along with contributions from the Library Renewal Editorial Team (incl. Colin Wilkins, Matt Weaver and Michael Porter).
Petition for E-Books and Libraries, Microsoft and B&N Join Forces, and More: Your Weekly Libraries and E-Content News Summary
May 4, 2012
Posted in: News
This week, with Library Renewal acting as one of their partners, the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library has created a website, ebooks for libraries, to raise awareness and help convince publishers to make e-books more available to libraries. The site contains a petition that those involved are hoping can collect at least 10,000 signatures. Once that goal is achieved, ebooks for libraries will snail mail the petition to the Big Six publishers in order to encourage them to make their e-books accessible to libraries to purchase rights to circulate. Again, Library Renewal has partnered with the TSCPL to spread the word about the effort and we ask that you join in that effort and share the link and petition with your friends and loved ones. More information about the project can be found on the ebooks for libraries website and in this article from The Digital Shift.
In a statement released Monday, Microsoft announced that it is investing $300 million in Barnes & Noble’s e-reading arm. The companies stated that they would “build upon the history of strong innovation in digital reading technologies from both companies” and “will accelerate the transition to e-reading.” This new venture will include both the e-reading division of Barnes & Noble and their college bookstores. The Wall Street Journal elaborates on possible opportunities created by this new company.
PBS MediaShift shared a piece on the role of libraries in the age of e-books. The article explains the current e-book access hurdles that libraries face, but also discusses the digital divide that exists regarding the use of e-books and how libraries enrich the lives of many in their communities by helping them understand and navigate new technology.
At the recent ALA executive board meeting in April, the board reaffirmed their support for e-book advocacy and will be intensifying their efforts in regard to increasing libraries’ access to e-books. Included in a statement released by ALA President Molly Raphael is a recognition that the board needs to expand their efforts in e-book advocacy, which includes reaching out to media and raising awareness with the general public.
Be sure to check out links to lots of other stories like these that we post on our Twitter feed and Facebook page throughout the week.
Contributing Editor Lindsay Barber writes our weekly e-content news posts along with contributions from the Library Renewal Editorial Team (incl. Colin Wilkins, Matt Weaver and Michael Porter).
Going DRM Free and What It Means, Plus Pew Surveys for Libraries: Your Weekly Libraries and E-Content News Summary
April 27, 2012
Posted in: News
Every year On the Media examines the publishing industry. This year’s show featured several segments on e-books, including ones about Amazon and its business practices; what Pottermore has done for e-books; and Randall White, CEO and president of Ehttp://www.onthemedia.org/2012/apr/20/DC — a company that chose to withdraw from selling its e-books on Amazon’s website.
This week, Tor/Forge announced that it was going to sell its e-books DRM free by July of this year. Tor/Forge is a publisher of science fiction and fantasy books, and is a subsidiary of Macmillan. The company stated that both readers and authors demanded DRM-free materials, and noted in its statement that DRM prevents readers from “using legitimately-purchased ebooks in perfectly legal ways, like moving them from one kind of e-reader to another.”
ReadWriteWeb analyzes what it means for a Big Six subsidiary to drop DRM on its titles. Michael Kelley wrote a reaction piece regarding DRM, e-books and libraries at The Digital Shift. Other reactions are available at TeleRead.
The Digital Shift is presenting a series of articles titled Exploring E-Book Options that looks at different e-book platforms available to libraries. Sue Polanka, creator of No Shelf Required (a blog about electronic content in libraries), wrote an article for this series covering the entire e-book and library landscape. Her article discusses all of the available options, plus what libraries should consider when evaluating them.
PaidContent published an interesting piece that includes a conversation with an industry executive about why he chooses to break the DRM on e-books that he purchases.
Finally, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project is now surveying library users and staff about their experiences with e-books. There are two separate surveys available. The first is targeted at librarians; in order to complete it, you will need to email Kathryn Zickuhr (kzickuhr *at sign* pewinternet.org) with the subject line “Library Password” to get the URL and login information for the survey. The second survey is aimed at library users, and is available here: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/participate/survey/e-book-borrowers. This second survey is for library users is not password protected.
Be sure to check out links to lots of other stories like these that we post on our Twitter feed and Facebook page throughout the week.
Contributing Editor Lindsay Barber writes our weekly e-content news posts along with contributions from the Library Renewal Editorial Team (incl. Colin Wilkins, Matt Weaver and Michael Porter).
The DOJ Files Antitrust Lawsuit, 3 Major Publishers Settle: Your Weekly Libraries and E-Content News Summar
April 13, 2012
Posted in: News
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has filed an antitrust suit against five major publishers and Apple. Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster have agreed to a proposed settlement which is awaiting court approval. Penguin Group, Macmillan and Apple have not agreed to a settlement. Penguin Group and Macmillan have both released statements denying any wrongdoing.
The settlement with Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster creates several new restrictions on e-book publishers. The full text of the settlement agreement can be found at TeleRead, while highlights and analysis of the settlement can be found at Wired. Included in the settlement: book retailers are allowed to discount e-books at their discretion for two years; publishers must eliminate any contract with books retailers that prohibits price competition; and a requirement to notify the DOJ of joint ventures with any other publishers related to e-books. This final stipulation could have consequences for libraries and publishers working toward an agreement regarding access to e-books. In the recent ALA State of America’s Libraries report, Hachette CEO David Young is quoted as saying, “Publishers can’t meet to discuss standards because of antitrust concerns. This has had a chilling effect on reaching consensus.”
As the New York Times points out, one possible result of the lawsuit is that Amazon may now be the one setting e-book prices. Regardless of the outcomes, this case will change the environment within which libraries are working on securing access to e-books.
In addition to the DOJ lawsuit, Macmillan, Penguin, Simon & Schuster and Apple also face lawsuits brought by several states. According to a statement released by the state of Connecticut, the following states are joining in leveling lawsuits similar to the DOJ: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia, plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Settlements with Hachette Group and HarperCollins have already been reached.
For a summary of the basics of the suit, the settlement, and the state lawsuits, check out The Digital Shift’s coverage.
ALA president-elect Maureen Sullivan has extended an invitation to authors groups in an effort to include content producers in the conversation about access to electronic content. The ALA is also hoping to understand what issues authors face in an evolving publishing environment. The meetings are expected to take place by mid-May.
In its annual State of America’s Libraries report, the ALA devotes a portion of it to e-books and their role in libraries. It serves as a good review of the issues libraries face related to obtaining and providing access to e-books for their communities.
Anthony Molaro, author of The Information Activist Librarian blog, argued recently that library access to e-books is an issue of human rights, equality and social justice. Molaro wonders what role exclusive e-book publishing will have on access to information.
Be sure to check out links to lots of other stories like these that we post on our Twitter feed and Facebook page throughout the week.
Contributing Editor Lindsay Barber writes our weekly e-content news posts along with contributions from the Library Renewal Editorial Team (incl. Colin Wilkins, Matt Weaver and Michael Porter).
A Week Full of Statistics: Pew On E-Books, Global E-book Usage and What Lending Does for Sales, OCLC Reports on Libraries: Your Weekly Libraries and E-Content News
April 6, 2012
Posted in: News
The Pew Internet and American Life Project released a report Wednesday on the increase in e-reading. Their study indicates that the number of American adults who have read an e-book increased from 17% in December 2011 to 21% in February 2012. Also included in the report is a breakdown of where e-book readers get their books (purchased online) and where they get recommendations (people they know). Several savvy observers have been quick to point out that the difficulty in getting e-books from libraries is a major reason why some prefer to purchase rather than borrow their e-books.
There is a great deal of useful information in this report that we didn’t formally have before. We recommend that you spend some time with it if you are keen to keep up with what is happening with libraries and the evolution of e-content. Having said that, it is admittedly a lot of information to process. Happily, for those wanting more of an overview, INFOdocket provides a great selection of highlights from the report that focus on libraries.
Again, the entire report is available on the Pew website. Just as an FYI, the Pew Internet and American Life Project is part of the larger Pew Internet Project that seeks to understand how the Internet affects children, families, schools and many other areas of our lives. Funding for the research comes from a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
ALA reacted to the Pew report almost immediately in the form of a fairly lengthy press release. In the document ALA seizes an opportunity to highlight some of the challenges libraries face in getting e-books and e-content to their patrons using existing systems and relationships. Kudos to ALA for acting quickly to offer important commentary and perspective as a high profile event like the release of the Pew study happened. Be sure to read their response here.
OCLC released a snapshot (.pdf format) of public libraries and their priorities. Surveying staff from member libraries, the study found that e-books rank in the top three priorities for libraries, just behind showing value to library funders and providing Internet access to the public. The survey also indicates that many library staff believe the future will bring more non-traditional branches, including library websites that serve as a key point of interaction for many patrons. Of initiatives taken on by libraries in the past year, procuring e-books accounted for 27%; other e-resources comprised an additional 10% of those projects. A similar report focusing on academic libraries is forthcoming.
The U.S., U.K., Australia and India lead the pack for e-book adoption, according to a report released by Bowker Market Research. In each of these countries, e-book adoption is at least 20% and growing. The report also includes demographics of e-book buyers by gender and age.
The importance that lending plays in finding authors, an activity that leads to higher sales, is evident from early data regarding Kindle’s lending library. Evidence shows that authors whose books are included in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library are more likely to see an increase in sales of their other books, even if they are also included in the lending library.
Contributing Editor Lindsay Barber writes our weekly e-content news posts along with contributions from the Library Renewal Editorial Team (incl. Colin Wilkins, Matt Weaver and Michael Porter).
CIL Talks E-Books, Why E-Books Need Libraries, Other Deep Thoughts: Your Weekly Libraries and E-Content News Summary
March 30, 2012
Posted in: News
First up in this week’s round-up of electronic content and library news we have summaries from two sessions at last week’s Computers in Libraries conference, where several sessions were devoted to the future of electronic content.
Library Renewal’s Michael Porter spoke during a session at CIL with Andy Woodworth and Sarah Houghton on e-book trends from an information professional’s perspective. You can watch a video of that session here (fyi, Michael is the third of the three speakers so his portion about e-content, libraries and Library Renewal towards the end). If you can’t watch the video, Nicole Engard provides a concise summary of the session on her website, Andy Woodworth provides a transcript of his talk on his blog and Michael put a version of his slides here:
Also at CiL, Gluejar’s Andromeda Yelton presented an interesting session on the future of e-books and you can view that entire session here.
While you’re at it, why not just check out a TON of other great videos from this year’s Computers in Libraries 2012 Conference over on Jaap van de Geer’s UStream page. As always, many thanks to the Japp and Eric for their fine video work with this both here and over at twil (This Week in Libraries).
From American Libraries magazine, a post on why e-books need libraries. Beverly Goldberg writes about the culture of sharing, how it is almost an innate human quality, and that people would be creating libraries if they did not already exist (and some are creating libraries even when they do exist). Goldberg argues that people will fight for their right to share their reading experiences, and that this passion for sharing could transfer to e-books.
Over at the Idea Log, a lengthy thought piece with suggestions for publishers on how to experiment with the new market created by e-books. Also, there is lots of discussion in the comments of this post.
From NPR, a short and light-hearted piece titled “In Praise of E-books” that looks at the physical benefits of reading books on an e-reader.
And finally, an interesting read from the New York Times on young readers and e-books. The article focuses on whether learning to read on iPads and e-readers is better than reading what are termed “traditional” books, or whether reading on these devices leads to distractions.
Be sure to check out links to lots of other stories like these that we post on our Twitter feed and Facebook page throughout the week.
Roundups from PLA plus Local Media Coverage: Libraries and E-Content News
March 23, 2012
Posted in: Uncategorized
In its coverage of the PLA conference, The Digital Shift focused on how some e-book and ILS providers are working on removing friction from e-book lending. Several vendors displayed different prototypes that streamlined the lending process. Vendors also learned that OverDrive is working on APIs that “result in both catalog discovery and single sign-on for the patron.” At the same time, ILS vendors are working on their own interfaces that integrate electronic holdings into the catalog.
Meanwhile, American Libraries provides a succinct overview of two sessions at PLA, including one on access to electronic content. The first full day of sessions started with a panel on “Getting E-Content to Your Customers.” The panel, comprised of members of the library and publishing communities (including Library Renewal’s CEO Michael Porter), discussed different ways libraries can work toward ensuring access to electronic content for their customers. Solutions included protesting and boycotting, as well as creating partnerships with other libraries and building relationships with all stakeholders involved.
Also at PLA, members of the ALA Digital Content and Libraries Working Group met with e-book distributors. American Libraries provides a summary from ALA President Molly Raphael on this meeting. Raphael notes that she is encouraged by meetings ALA is having with publishers and that these talks are a necessary step before any action can be taken.
Consumers and local news outlets are starting to notice that many e-books are not available at local libraries, as pointed out in this article on Digital Book World. News outlets from Nashville, Philadelphia and San Francisco have all posted stories regarding access to e-books through libraries in the last week.
Finally, a video from the Association of American Publishers annual meeting, where librarians make their case for e-books in libraries.
Children, DoJ, Publishers, ALA, SXSW, PLA and CiL: Libraries and E-Content News Weekly
March 18, 2012
Posted in: News
Won’t someone please think of the children?! No, really, please think of the children:
Concern rises among some that children may be the largest group left out of the e-book revolution. An article from Digital Book World discusses that only 5-7% of the revenue for children’s publishers comes from sales of e-books, a much smaller percentage than that of adult books. There is a correlation between the poverty line––44% of children live in low-income homes––and access to e-books and e-readers. The Children’s Book Council is concerned that this will cause a digital divide between those who grow up reading and interacting with tablets/e-readers and those who do not. There is no discussion in the article regarding libraries and their role in creating access to electronic content, but the author does want to hear from librarians (as well as teachers, parents and other concerned citizens). This is one of the many reasons we are engaged in our work here at Library Renewal and we’re glad to see this capturing the attention of the folks at Digital Book World.
Friction burns?:
Penguin recently determined that e-books available through OverDrive in the Kindle format may no longer be transferred wirelessly, instead requiring users to download and manually transfer Kindle books via USB. The publishers actions are a demonstration of “friction”, a word sometimes used by publishers to describe an intentional barrier to easy e-book access through libraries. The consequences of this frictional barrier are showing up i libraries across the country.
Report on Penguin “friction” from teleread.
This example, from Washington County Cooperative Library Services in Oregon, shows how libraries are attempting to explain this new “friction” to their library users.
DoJ and publishers:
An opinion piece from Publisher’s Weekly on the recent allegations by the Justice Department against several publishers that they corroborated to set high prices for e-books. Of note is the assumption by publishers that competition would matter more than pricing.
ALA on meeting with publishers:
Publisher’s Weekly interviewed ALA president Molly Raphael at this year’s PLA conference. Raphael met with publishers at the Association of American Publishers meeting. This interview with Raphael covers some of her thoughts regarding access to e-books, what she thinks the major publishers are struggling with, and why it might still be awhile before the issue of access to electronic content from the major publishers is resolved. A good resource for understanding how the ALA is working to come to a consensus with publishers regarding e-books.
Library Renewal at SXSW, PLA and CiL:
Library Renewal has been on the road for the past couple of weeks talking about our work and goals. Libraries, e-content, e-books, publishers and solutions, that’s what we’ve been talking about. Interest has been very high and responses have definitely been very positive. Our “Spring Tour 2012″ started at SXSW where we were represented on a panel with several other very fine library folks called “Making Stories: Libraries & Community Publishing“. The description of the session and the audio file from it are now up on this page. Michael Porter’s portion starts in about 25% of the way through. You can see the Library Renewal slides below:
Finally, if you will be in Washington DC this week for Computers in Libraries, please reach out to us and book a time where we can talk and connect. And be sure to attend the panel session “Ebook Trends: Info Pro Perspectives” where Michael is presenting as well. That session is A202 in the schedule and runs from 11:30 – 12:15. Hope to see you there!
Our new newsletter, The DOJ calls Shenanigans! on E-Book Pricing, plus Frustrations and Guides: Libraries and E-Content News
March 9, 2012
Posted in: Featured
The first item of the week: we launched another issue of our newsletter, the Spring Update, which features FAQs about Library Renewal, and a great guest post from Jonathan Chambers on the real math of ebooks in libraries. If you have been wondering what Library Renewal has been up, you can read about our partner library program. If you want to tell your library’s story with video, submit a proposal to Library Renewal. You might receive a custom HD Library Renewal camera. And while you’re reading about all of those things in this issue, click on the “Subscribe to List” button in the upper left corner to receive our future issues.
The biggest news item of the week was that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations that Apple and five of the Big Six publishers allegedly conspired to fix the price of e-books. Apple, Penguin Group USA, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, HarperCollins, and Hachette Book Group are all being threatened with a lawsuit. Some, but not all of the companies are currently in talks to reach a settlement, the results of which could still change the e-book market. The European Union is also reviewing these allegations against Apple and the five publishers. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times Media Decoder Blog provide a history of how we arrived at the current e-book pricing model for consumers.
There has been much discussion in the blogosphere this week regarding whether or not libraries should continue fighting the fight for electronic content (or at least consider taking a breather). Bobbi Newman wrote a piece that is garnering quite a bit of discussion, and not just from those in the library world. Newman argues that libraries should think about getting out of the e-book lending game until there is a better model to provide e-books to library patrons. This is not to say that Newman wants libraries to get out of the e-book game forever — in the meantime, she thinks they should take a step back and work harder toward finding a workable solution.
Similar to Newman’s post, Guy LeCharles Gonzalez questions whether or not it is worth the effort for libraries to continue to fight for e-books. Gonzalez wonders if libraries should just wait until the dust settles with the scuffle over e-books and then consider the e-book lending model again. Mentioned in both of these posts is Andy Woodworth’s “Alternative Uses for the Pesky E-Book Budget” that has also been making the rounds this week. Look at the comments on all of these posts for further ideas and discussions — plenty of food for thought.
Along the lines of musings regarding libraries and their relationship to publishers is K.G. Schneider’s response to Random House’s increase in e-book pricing. Schneider once again provides a thoughtful piece on what libraries need to be thinking about in terms of access to electronic content and suggests that we need to use the history of our relationship with publishers as a guide for our actions.
IFLA released a draft guide for libraries on key issues for electronic resource collection development. It is an overview intended to highlight what librarians will need to consider when procuring electronic resources for their libraries.
Finally, this post from Emma Wright, which was originally published in early February. Wright, who has worked in e-book production for the past two years, presents a guide for e-book publishers detailing what they should take into consideration. While aimed at what publishers need to do, an interesting piece for all.
Don’t forget to check out our Twitter feed and Facebook page for news and links throughout the week.
Volunteers Needed
March 6, 2012
Posted in: Uncategorized
If you would like to be a part of the work of Library Renewal, one way to contribute is to become a “Library Renewal Advocate” and volunteer. Periodically we need specific kinds of volunteers to pitch in and help and now is one of those times. We are currently looking for a few reliable, highly motivated volunteers to work on a wide variety of projects we currently have cooking behind the scenes. We have real projects that are rewarding to work on and move libraries closer to offering econtent to patrons in powerful and affordable new ways that put libraries in control. You can help make this happen! We ask most volunteers to commit to five hours of work each month for a minimum of six months. We have some special thank you gifts for those that follow through, but the real reason to work with us it to take action for positive change, in ways no other org is or can. If you have experience or desire to work in the following areas/projects send us an email about your interests and we’ll make good things happen for libraries together. And hey, if you cant volunteer you can always donate directly!
Here’s what we can use help with right now:
-Fundraising experts and Grant Writers. We are actively building our fundraising team. There is immediate work to do here and this is a top organizational priority.
-Volunteer to manage a grant related to ongoing online search engine ad campaigns for Library Renewal.
-Do you work with a group of coders that works on projects for non-profits? Let’s talk.
-Recurring monthly Partner Library meeting note taker (second Friday of each month 10am PST, 1pm EST)
-Volunteer program managers. We have a number of volunteers and people interested in working and volunteering with Library Renewal and we could use help from a couple select, very motivated individuals interested in joining our volunteer advocate team and kick start this part of our work.
