“The Need for Change: A Position Paper on E-Lending by the Joint Digital Content Working Group” explores many of the challenges that public, academic, and school libraries have faced to meet this increased demand; challenges that are made only more difficult by the models for pricing, licensing, and usage set by ebook publishers. While the challenges vary somewhat from institution to institution, there are many similarities, especially as they impact public library patrons and students of all ages. As the paper points out, users “who rely most on libraries – often poor or otherwise marginalized groups – are especially disadvantaged, as are many students and their families as they struggle to succeed in remote learning situations.”

For public libraries, the increase in demand has been dramatic, with OverDrive reporting that library patrons borrowed 10.1 million ebooks via Libby, OverDrive’s e-reader app, during the first week of April 2020. This represents an almost 30% increase compared to the same week in 2019.  Meeting this demand is already a challenge given that budgets are limited, and many public libraries are preparing for even tighter budgets in future years amid layoffs, furloughs, and funding cuts. 

However, the situation is only worsened by ebook pricing models used by the so-called “Big Five,” those publishers who are responsible for the majority of high-demand titles in public library collections. One study cited in the position paper illustrates that the average price per copy of an ebook has tripled in nine years while licensing models have only become more restrictive over the same time period. With this in mind, the Digital Content Working Group argues in favor of a circulation-based model instead of a time-based metered model. Such a model would help public libraries with collection management and budget planning, allowing a  librarian to know that any given ebook purchased would circulate a guaranteed number of times before its license expires, rather than expiring after a set time regardless of how many times it actually circulated. As explained in the position paper, “[only] then will libraries know what their cost-per-use on metered access titles might be.” 

The position paper also makes the case for legislative action that would prevent companies from limiting competition in the digital content market, as is often the case when a publisher issues digital content exclusively through its own platforms. As tech giant publishers continue to limit users’ access to digital content, limitations that often exclude public libraries entirely, the inequities of the digital divide will only worsen.

Looking beyond public libraries, other types of libraries face similar challenges. For academic libraries, titles might be unavailable due to a combination of cost and licensing.  Even more problematic is the challenge of streaming access, which is often inaccessible due to vendors’ pricing models. The pricing models use rates similar to public performance rights, even if only a single researcher is accessing a single digital title. This model will become less sustainable as more digital content is available only via streaming, a trend that has picked up momentum over the past year. 

At the same time, since many vendors do not offer institutional access, students often need to use their personal accounts for streaming services to access materials required for class, an unfair burden that only deepens existing inequities for low-income students. Challenges of licensing and cost also hinder the ability of academic libraries to collect digital editions of textbooks, since e-textbooks are often tied to individual access keys that expire at the end of an academic year. This prevents academic libraries from preserving digital copies or placing digital editions on reserve, a valuable service that would support many students.  

For school libraries, the pandemic has exposed and exacerbated challenges related to ebooks and other digital content, especially as many schools turn to remote learning. This is especially the case for students in neighborhoods that lack broadband access and therefore cannot utilize videoconferencing or otherwise media-rich educational resources, or who have poor cellular coverage and therefore cannot utilize Wi-Fi hotspots reliably. At the same time, while many students have smartphones, their value is limited if the accompanying data plans are not unlimited. For ebooks and other digital content, school library budgets are strained by costs of licenses, particularly for class sets. While this would enable students in a class to read the same book at the same time, current licensing models and pricing models make such resources cost-prohibitive in many cases.

Just as the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed many aspects of our society, we are undeniably at a crossroads for how libraries of all types make digital content available to their respective communities.  As the position paper explains: “This is a powerful moment for libraries, a juncture where there is an opportunity to evaluate and require equity in terms of the three components necessary for a successful library experience: access, discovery, and delivery.  As usage by library patrons increases, and as academic and school libraries increasingly turn to digital, libraries are in a strong position to advocate for digital equality.”

See the full text of the ALA Joint Digital Content Working Group paper.

The post ALA Group Calls on Publishers to Update Pricing Models first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Publisher: Red Herrings

Amazon: Digital: $4.99 ASIN: B01MR32G79; Paperback: $15.99 ISBN-10: 1938733975

In the introduction to her book, War, Spies, & Bobby Sox: Stories About World War II at Home, author Libby Hellmann writes that our fascination with WWII comes from the fact that “it was the last time there was clarity between good and evil.” It is ironic, then, that the characters in her book are forced to make decisions in which the line between good and evil is blurred and there is no clear right or wrong answer.

This book features three short fictional stories of WWII on the American homefront, an angle on the conflict that hasn’t received as much attention in our popular culture as other aspects of the war have. Any of these stories could have been a stand-alone novel; in some cases, the author rushed through some vital details of the stories. Still, there was great character development, as the reader could sympathize with the characters, while the prose was descriptive, and the story was filled with action. It was a fun read that held my interest the whole time.

In the first story, a young woman is blackmailed into helping the Nazis after they kidnap her young son. In the second story, a young American girl gets caught in a dangerous love triangle with two German POWs working on her family’s farm. And in the final story, a promising young actress is murdered as she unwittingly becomes part of a spy operation. In each of the stories, the reader can feel the characters’ struggle to determine the correct course of action. Is protecting family more important than your duty to your country? Should love conquer everything, even when two people are on opposite sides of a struggle between good and evil? Is it worth sacrificing one of your citizens to potentially save others?

One of the biggest themes of the book is that, in such turbulent times, we often must make difficult decisions and do things we normally wouldn’t. Hitler was our enemy; that we all knew. But did the characters in these stories do the right thing? That’s debatable. And that’s a big part of what makes this book so fascinating. Perhaps our necessity to make such morally ambiguous decisions because of Hitler’s actions is part of what made him so evil.

I found this to be both an entertaining and a thought-provoking read. Even though these aren’t true stories, I still feel that I gained a lot of insight on an aspect of WWII that I don’t know much about. The author’s passion for the topic also shines throughout the book. If you’re interested in WWII fiction, give this book a try.

The post Review – War, Spies, & Bobby Sox: Stories About World War II at Home by Libby Hellmann first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

That was ten years ago, and print is still here. Even though e-readers are more popular than ever, they are not replacing physical books. As it turns out, some genres just lend themselves better to print than to digital. Have you ever tried to read a children’s e-book to a three-year-old? As a children’s librarian, I assure you it’s impossible. There’s nothing quite like a physical book to capture the imagination of children. Textbooks and cookbooks are also much more popular in print than in digital, studies show.[2]

For all that e-readers are popular, only about 8 percent of American readers claim to read exclusively on digital format. A signification portion of readers read a combination of print and digital: 30 percent. [3] There is even a gender divide, with men more likely to read on a computer and women comprising the bulk of e-readership. Interestingly enough, no correlations between number of e-books read and preference for e-books seem to exist: meaning that the number of e-books read does not predispose readers to reading digitally.[4]

Reported reasons for reading have remained relatively unchanged over the last several years; most people (80 percent) report reading for pleasure. Reading to keep up with current events and for specific research are also very high on the list of reasons to read: 47 percent and 84 percent respectively. [5]

This preference for print over digital reading holds true for millennials as well as older generations. Even though the new crop of students is the most technologically savvy cohort to ever enter universities, students do not prefer e-books over textbooks regardless of gender, computer use, or comfort with a computer. [6]

With so much reading going on, it’s possible that print books are preferred for another completely practical reason: reading on screens tires out your eyes much faster than reading on paper. Furthermore, the national sleep foundation has reported that so much bright light disrupts natural sleep patterns.[7] So while there are few people who would, or could, dispute the convenience of e-books on mobile devices, reading on a bright screen just can’t replace a good, old-fashioned book.

References

1. “Amazon Kindle: A history of the world’s best e-reader.” Trusted Reviews. Accessed August 21, 2017. http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/a-history-of-the-amazon-kindle-2946395.
2. “Print books still preferred in the technological age.” The Exponent. Accessed August 1, 2017. http://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_68412e2c-7232-11e7-b759-b73802a8610e.html.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. “E-books or textbooks: Students prefer textbooks.” Computers & Education. Accessed August 20, 2017. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131510001120.
7. “Print books still preferred in the technological age.” The Exponent. Accessed August 1, 2017. http://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_68412e2c-7232-11e7-b759-b73802a8610e.html.

The post Don’t Panic, Print Books Aren’t Going Anywhere first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

As long as I can remember, we have printed out flyers to advertise programs, booklists, calendars, and reminders of closings. These items are posted on bulletin boards and placed around the library in strategic spots. They also reside, in colorful stacks, at the circulation desk for people to take on their way out and they do take them. The conundrum is that many library users complain about the flyers. Some complain the paper stacks are messy. Some say that we are wasting paper and killing trees. Others  opine that the flyer is too large or too small. Many say they would like us to stop printing the flyers, but just as many would like us to keep providing them.

Newly renovated, we have instituted a new communication mode. We’ve purchased three electronic frames. Two are hung in strategic places on the wall, one is on a shelf near a book display. Each one rotates through a variety of the informational flyers. Library users have noticed and so far all of the comments have been favorable. Then they ask us for a paper copy. We have resolved this by printing a limited number of flyers, and keeping them behind the circulation desk. Anyone requesting a flyer can receive one, but the stack of paper is kept hidden.

The public seems to be viewing this as a perfect solution. The staff sees this as a compromise. But for me, as the library director, I still have the conundrum. While I agree, the lack of multiple piles of paper stacked everywhere is an improvement visually, I wonder about functionality. The electronic frames are yet one more draw on the grid; one more piece of equipment to keep track of, turn on/off, trouble shoot, etc. Time is still spent creating well-designed flyers, but now those flyers also need to be formatted, uploaded, and deleted. Paper is still being printed, unused copies still becoming scrap paper. I see little gain, but lots of costs.

Despite my reticence, the electronic frames are here to stay.  They are providing important illusions and sometimes what people believe is more important that what is real. Some are asking questions, saying they know librarians’ time is now more available because of the frames. This is not true, but we are happy people are now asking questions. Despite all the other equipment in our building we use, loan, teach, it is the frames that people comment on as showing “our cutting edge” technology.  For me, all I can say is at least the desk is neater.

The post The Paper Conundrum first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Further complicating the issue is that many libraries don’t have their own system in place for storing and lending e-books, but rather have to depend on subscription services like Overdrive or the recently sold 3M system. Preservation issues aside this creates challenges for small press publishers, indie authors, and library staff who want to do the most good for the community as a whole.

There may be a couple of solutions from unlikely sources, and if they work, they could change the game entirely. A little competition and other paths to an e-book ownership type program might force the big publishers, or at least encourage them to cooperate. The only ones who think $90 e-books are reasonable are the number crunchers in big New York offices. The following are a few players who could help change their minds.

Amazon
The big retail giant? You bet. They have some distinct advantages in the publishing game, and have even opened a physical bookstore very similar to a library in atmosphere, although without the selection or the expert advice available from library staff.

• Amazon has already fought, and pretty much won, a battle over e-book pricing with publishers.
• Amazon has tons of big data to advise libraries on what to carry and what will be popular in their demographic. Provided they are willing to share that data, it could lower library costs in the long run.
• Amazon has access to titles and authors that can be the basis for an ownership type model for e-books. While they do not have ownership of every title, they could influence the industry to move that direction.

Will Amazon ever undertake such an effort as Amazon Library? It’s a good question, but there are several ways authors and Amazon itself would win if they did. They would profit from selling books to the library outright, authors would collect royalties easily, and authors could see an increase in discoverability. This increase in discoverability increases sales on Amazon, at least potentially benefitting everyone.

The library would get reasonably priced e-books, vetted and distributed by the largest book retailer in the world at the moment, and in some cases could actually own the content, and therefore be able to preserve them properly.

It seems like a win-win, but much like the rest of the industry, the game changer could be indie authors. How?

Self-E
Library Journal has come up with a great program: Self-E, which vets self-published works and makes them available to libraries. The program is designed to create robust local writing communities and keep libraries at the center of the Indie author movement. For authors, the program allows them to connect to local readers, a local community, and do what every author wants: increase discoverability.

But what does it do for pricing? Indie e-books are offered to libraries at a significantly reduced cost, even though they are not as popular as those released by the Big Five. Right now, that creates a problem for libraries. Popular books get more borrows, so indie books are not “competition” for Stephen King’s latest per se, at least not to an extent they will necessarily drive prices down.

“The latest news about the decline in e-book sales for the large publishers might be more cause for them to reconsider the pricing model,” says Cheri Rendler of the Meridian Library District near Boise, Idaho.  “We went through Self-e in order to provide an additional way for Idaho Indie authors to get exposure for their work, encourage writing, and for library patrons to discover the works of local and independent authors.”

Authors and libraries must opt in to participating in Self-E, but the more of both that do, the more likely patrons and publishers alike will be to pay attention.

eBooksareforever
The brainchild of indie author Joe Konrath and his business partner August Wainwright, this idea has been in development for a while. Developing a program like eBooksareforever comes with many obstacles.

First, due to the thousands of titles published every year—many of them poorly edited and marketed–there needs to be a system in place to vet titles and make sure they are worth a librarian’s time to seek out and add to the collection. There also needs to be a simple way for libraries to acquire, preserve, and lend the books that are available.

Second, there needs to be a simple way for authors and small presses to make their books available and discoverable. They also need to get paid. Many authors voice that they would be willing to forego royalties in exchange for the discoverability. Yet not charging for e-books does not solve any of the acquisition obstacles libraries face, and most librarians are not only fans of Indie authors, but also are in favor of sustainable author careers. Not paying for content doesn’t jive with that sentiment. Creating this system in a way that benefits both authors and libraries took time. Now that the platform has launched, it becomes up to both authors and libraries to explore this option and make it viable by spreading the word and expanding the number of titles offered.

Are any of these alone a solution? Not yet, but with efforts like the Digital Public Library of America and libraries who are developing their own applications to integrate e-books into their catalog searches, the likelihood of a breakthrough in pricing at least gets a little more hopeful.

The final outcome it seems will rest on publishers once again embracing the value of libraries, and seeing the advantage to placing e-books there, much as they have with print for years. Until then, the pricing battle will continue. We can only hope new programs will make that less of an uphill struggle.

The post Building a Bypass: Libraries, Amazon, and Indie Authors first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

But fifty years after my death, the world will likely be a different place, with different readers and much different devices. So how will my now largely digital content survive? It’s a real question, because there are many differences between the preservation of something physical and something digital. Back when computers were young, I saved my work in Word Perfect file formats to my hard drive, and backed it up on floppy disks. At first these disks were huge, and actually floppy. Then they got smaller, and had a hard casing. Easier to protect and longer lasting, we were assured. So we copied our files faithfully, counting on the media to be trustworthy.

I put many of those disks away where they would be safe. Why print those stories out and cart around a file cabinet full of paper? After all, they were stored safely forever in digital form. Except something happened. First, the file formats became obsolete, and newer programs could not properly read them. Sometimes I could retrieve my work, but the formatting would be horrible. Then computers moved on, and the disks themselves became obsolete. Very few computers had drives that would read them, and the disks (or at least those that I didn’t lose) deteriorated. Even a machine with the right drive could not retrieve the data. My stories were lost.

The Challenges

Data Migration
But things are different now, right? We have CDs, thumb drives, the cloud, and hard drives designed to last forever. Wrong. Amazon has already changed its primary format for Kindle. Older formats and different formats are supported, and while it is important to know the differences, there is no industry standard or guarantee about which formats will last and which ones will not. This issue, known as data migration, is critical to any repository of knowledge. Besides that, thumb drives fail, CDs get damaged, and “indestructible” hard drives fail. There also really isn’t a “cloud” where your data is stored. The cloud is just someone else’s computer. So without a solid preservation plan, no data is really secure.

No Printed Version
Not all books are produced in print. In fact, with edits done digitally, they may never be printed at all, even by the author. If there is no paper copy, are digital-only books really being preserved?

Ownership
The answer is no even when an individual buys e-books: they don’t own them, and neither do libraries. the content is only licensed for specific uses, and often libraries pay a premium for the “right” to lend them. So likely the only person with “real” copies of the file are the author and the publisher, if applicable since many authors are now self-publishing.

A recent article explains why it’s difficult for libraries to lend e-books. let alone preserve them. “It would plainly violate copyright law for publishers to put such restrictions on libraries for paperback or hardcover books. That is covered by the “first-sale” doctrine of copyright law, which says once somebody buys something, they’re free to do what they like with it—donate it, resell it, or in the case of libraries, lend it out. The thing about ebooks, though, is that libraries and consumers don’t buy them, instead paying for the aforementioned license—which isn’t covered by first-sale doctrine.”

The problem is further complicated by the way libraries acquire those licenses. They have a few choices for services, but they are restrictive and often expensive. They certainly can’t preserve the digital works in question, as they only have access to them as long as they keep paying their subscription fees.

Cheri Rendler, of the Public Library in Meridian Idaho, answered a few questions about how things work, or in many cases, don’t when it comes to libraries and e-books.

• Budget
  On the issue of money, she states: “Our collection budget remains flat, so we cannot increase the amount allocated to digital unless we take it from another collection line. We also need to consider platform fees for the digital services we carry.” In other words, without an increase in funding, the money available must be shifted. So if a library buys more e-books they will have less money for physical books or other products or programs.
• The Current Situation
  So is the preservation of digital content being handled well?  “No. Formats, platforms, ownership of content are all over the place and there are few if any uniform standards,” Cheri answered.. ”Currently publishers and vendors control the access, and libraries often have to ‘rebuy’ leased copies every year, or 26 checkouts, or similar models. There is no standard repository or funding to ensure it is updated as technology changes. While the HathiTrust is a start in preserving content, a lot of it is under copyright, so access is limited to the members of institutions who uploaded content, and it does not include works that have only been published digitally.”
• Solutions?
  “(We need to) continue to let publishers know we want an ownership model that allows for preservation of the digital content,”  Cheri stated. There appears to be little that can be done on a local level, but there are some national efforts, like the Digital Public Library of America. Still, there are many obstacles to overcome before they can be successful, including funding and standardized formats. The core issue of preservation will only be solved by a revision of the ownership/subscription model, and that can only be accomplished through negotiations with the publishers and other creators of content. Even then, the issues of migrating digital content to new formats will have to be factored into budgets, and measures will have to be taken to “ensure that the original content is not altered or access removed, and to preserve our literary culture,” says Cheri Rendler.

In the end one of the primary missions of libraries is to preserve knowledge and make it publicly available. Publishers, authors, and vendors alike need to recognize that mission, facilitate it, and make it happen

The post Is Digital Content Being Properly Preserved? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Photo Credit: Amazon

At the same time, the relationship between libraries and publishers has changed. A majority of libraries now have ebooks available. According to the American Libraries Association 2014 Report on the State of Libraries, by the end of 2013 all of the major publishers were offering e-books to libraries, whether directly or through distributors like Overdrive, Axis 360, and 3M .

The relationship is still troubled, as issues of pricing and availability remain, not to mention the ever present concern about digital preservation. This is understandable considering the current troubled state of the publishing industry. Authors, small presses, and the big publishers alike are concerned about earnings and profit, and instead of embracing libraries as partners, often see them as the enemy. They often assume every book borrowed from a library is one the borrower would have purchased otherwise, so is thus a lost sale. Instead, they should be  looking at the way libraries can help their bottom line.

As community centers, libraries also reach out to local writers. The rise of self-publishing has added a new dynamic, and blurred the lines of what constitutes a “real” author. However, programs like the Soon to Be Famous author program in Illinois seek to address these while still Spotlighting Self-Published Authors.

Photo Credit: Flickr

What do book subscription services have to do with libraries? Well, in a Forbes article, Tim Worstall suggests we “close all of the libraries and buy everyone a Kindle Unlimited subscription.” Using his home country of the United Kingdom, the author argues such an action would benefit the public in the long run. Are subscription services library killers? Here are some simple reasons why not.

Costs

Libraries are publically funded, and therefore essentially free to the public. Even calculating in the costs of property tax levies and local sales taxes, libraries cost patrons much less (per capita) than the $120 dollars annually it would take to enroll each patron in Kindle Unlimited or one of the other subscription services.

Availability

Even though your local library might (only?) have 20,000 titles in stock–a small number when compared to those 600,000–the difference is in the titles themselves. For instance, many of the classics, including The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, books by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and countless others are not available on Kindle Unlimited or either of the other subscription services.

Where does Amazon get their astounding number of titles? From their pool of self-published and small press authors who offer them exclusive rights to their content for a certain amount of time. Many other factors affect whether a book is available for “borrowing.” Publishers deal with these services much like movie studios deal with services like Netflix or musicians deal with Spotify or Pandora.  Not every book (or movie or artist) is available because the vendor has not brokered a deal with them to offer licensing of their work.

So while libraries wrestle with publishers, subscription services face many similar obstacles. Not all content or even most of the content readers want will be available in digital format.

Photo Credit: Pew Research

Print

The other factor is print. In 2013 according to a survey conducted by Pew Research, 28% of adults had read an ebook in the last year, up from 23% in 2012. But 69% reported reading a print book, also up from 65% the previous year. More than 54% of adults visited the library for one reason or another the previous year.

So while e-reader use is on the rise, and ebooks are becoming more popular, a large number of readers prefer print.

Preservation

Preserving knowledge is a huge part of any library’s mission. While there is some controversy over whether or not digital preservation of ebooks is actually taking place, the preservation of print materials, and the digitization of other parts of library collections, is a constant priority.

Community Centers

Patrons count on libraries to do more than just lend books. They visit for free Wi-Fi or even computer use and research assistance from knowledgeable staff. Often such services include assistance with job searches, especially for those who do not have reliable internet service at home.

Many libraries around the world offer innovative ideas to get print books and technology into the hands of readers, from mobile libraries to delivery services. The New York Public Library even offers remote answers to simple research questions through their ASK-NYPL program.

Discoverability

For years, the Big Six (now Big Five) were the “gatekeepers” of the publishing world. For the most part, they kept the bad out and let the good in. Smaller presses offered some opportunity, but self-publishing was obscure, frowned upon, and often perceived as an exercise in vanity. However, with the rise of Apple iBooks, followed by Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, the number of books published tripled in a decade, and rises exponentially annually.

As a result, classification and quality screening become more critical than ever. A smaller, more selective ebook collection accompanied by competent staff and a collections management plan makes for a much better user experience.

Ebooks will not replace paperbacks entirely anytime soon. Subscription services will not replace libraries and the community resources they provide. Libraries win, even in the area of ebook lending, despite the challenges they face. But the challenge won’t likely come from any kind of subscription service, at least for now.

The post Why Libraries Win: Library Lending vs. E-book Subscription Services first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Anne Womack, Youth Services Collection Development Librarian in Arlington, VA, used Diary of a Wimpy Kid series as an example to describe her dilemma. “From our . . . vendor, we are given the purchase price of $13.95 for one e-copy of the book. If our library patrons go on Amazon they can buy it for $7, half the price. Our customers end up getting frustrated with long wait lists and not enough copies to satisfy the demand because they cannot understand why we’re not buying more copies.”

Womack further points out that in the teen e-book market,a title like “Jodi Picoult’s . . . Off the Page, would cost libraries $59.97 for one e-book. The library might be able to afford 1-2 copies at that price, but that would not meet the demand. Some publishers sell e-books to libraries for 12 months, or maybe for a specific number of check-outs. Then the library has to purchase the title again. It becomes quite a headache for staff!”

A collection development professional in the neighboring DC Public Library shared that concern. While the limited checkouts and renewal license fee structures offered can save libraries money in the short-term, collection specialists must be diligent about e-book collection management efforts to keep up renewals and with demand. Still, she finds the strain necessary since the busiest “branch” of the Library is now the online Virtual Branch where customers are borrowing “all things digital” including e-books.

Hope may be on the horizon for libraries in the e-book market according to Matt Enis in a July 28 article, entitled: “E-book Vendors Anticipate Big Five Licensing Terms Becoming more Flexible.” He notes that revenue growth from e-books to the Big Five Publishers from individual consumers is far lower than the doubling sales they saw from 2010 to 2011 and 2011-2012. The slowing e-book sales growth to consumers suddenly makes the library market an attractive partner again. E-book vendors are expecting the Big Five Publishers to experiment with new fee structures and pricing that can lessen the strain on library budgets in the near future.

This good news can’t come too soon for Vickery Bowles of Toronto Public Library and collections specialists across the United States. Anne Womack crystalized this sentiment: “We would love for the Big 5 publishers to recognize libraries as partners, as a means to get their books into the hands of hundreds of readers who may very well purchase more of the same book/author in the future.” Should the forecast for more favorable pricing structures bear fruit, hope is indeed on the horizon to combat “unsustainable” e-book prices to libraries.

Ennis, Matt. “Ebook Vendors Anticipate Big Five Licensing Terms Becoming More Flexible,” Library Journal Online. July 23, 2015.

Lou, Ethan. “High Ebook prices ‘unsustainable,’ says city’s top librarian,” thestar.com. June 18, 2015.

The post Is There Hope on the Horizon for Unsustainable E-book Prices? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Many libraries are completely eliminating their reference collections to make room, both physically and financially, for other resources including ebooks and databases. In many respects, going digital just makes more sense. For example, when you compare the limitations of a physical reference collection, it’s an obvious choice to choose the digital route. Choosing a digital reference collection means that the information is (generally) easier to find, the ability to conduct extensive searches is greater, multiple people can access the resource simultaneously, and it can typically be utilized outside the library network.

However choosing the digital option for books, while increasingly a part of our lives, does not necessarily have such a clear answer. True, it has become much simpler to actually download the ebook onto a device compared to the confusing process that it used to be, but many ebooks can only be accessed by one patron at a time despite the fact that it’s not a physical item. Additionally, some vendors impose maximum usage limits. The Digital Shift survey reports that the average ebook price is $23.00, and I know from discussions with fellow library employees that it’s not uncommon to see popular titles going up to as much as $80.

In this respect, the decision to go digital isn’t exactly cut and dry for all libraries. With schools starting to lend out tablets to their students and ebook reading becoming a normalized practice, many libraries are at a crossroads: embrace the digital age despite the financial burden and limitations it may impose or limit the library and its patrons from embracing 21st century digital trends in place of cost-effective book purchasing?

While there is a lot of hype about completely digital, bookless libraries, I personally think that there will always be a marriage between digital and physical books in public libraries. The underlying issue is how public libraries, particularly those facing budget cuts, are supposed to create this partnership in their collections? Unlike the way databases have replaced the physical reference material, this e-book digital shift isn’t necessarily an obvious one for all.

What are your ideas on best ways for public libraries to walk the ebook/book line? Share your comments below.

For statistics on ebook purchasing and circulation and ereader and tablet usage, you can read the full survey here: http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2014/10/ebooks/survey-library-ebook-growth-slowing-still-substantial/

Works Cited:

“Survey: Library Ebook Growth Slowing but Still Substantial.” The Digital Shift. 30 Oct. 2014. Web. 30 Dec. 2014. <http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2014/10/ebooks/survey-library-ebook-growth-slowing-still-substantial/>.

Cover Image Credit: Jorghex CC BY-SA 3.0

The post Shelf Life: The Balancing Act Between Physical and Digital Books first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

“The BookMatch program launched quietly about two weeks ago. [This quote is from August 2014 – Ed.] It’s completely free: just fill out the online form telling the nice librarians what you like to read, and they’ll come back to you in about a week with a list of five or six recommendations. You can even specify what type of format you prefer (book, ebook, audiobook, or large print)” (Merlan, Village Voice 2014). In addition to filling the requests, the lists are also anonymously posted on the library’s website, allowing other patrons to browse at their own convenience. Among the topics that already exist are:

• Drama/Suspense
• Historical romance
• Great Gatsby read-alikes
• Father and sons
• All kinds of books/no mushy stuff
• SciFi-Fantasy with strong females and diversity

Since the beginning of this program, the 35 librarians who maintain the website have been inundated with patron requests. This has been a successful launch of a new program, and it may actually prove to be too much for just the 35 librarians to complete each list in under a week if it keeps growing in popularity. This watershed moment of customer service shall work as a tableau for public libraries at large.

I began to think of how this may grow while researching this topic. Many public libraries have more items than books. I’m thinking about music, movies, and even periodicals. This program could increase its scope and therefore its ability to accommodate more patrons. It’s an amazing idea that truly comes from the basics of librarianship and adapting to the current times. Haven’t all librarians at one time or another given recommendations based on one book or movie? This is just taking that customer service to a new and more convenient level for patrons who may be living a hectic lifestyle and don’t have the time to browse the stacks.

This is definitely a program that can work in public libraries all over the world. Thanks, New York; you managed to inspire us once again with your indefatigable efforts at cultural programming!

Works Cited

Merlan, Anna. “A Brooklyn Librarian Will Now Make You a Personalized Reading List, and You Don’t Even Have to Put on Pants.” Village Voice. August 26, 2014.  (accessed September 20, 2014)

The post I’ll Tell You What to Read: Online BookMatch Program Connects Readers to New Books first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Novel Engagement (NE) has four basic components: Authors, Books, Events, and Reader Zone. The best part of the app may be the Books section, which not only allows a search for books by title, but also by subgenre and theme. Keywords such as “cowboys” or “vampires” can be entered to narrow down a search. Looking for just a romance novel is often not enough for today’s educated romance reader. Romance novel enthusiasts have their own specific tastes and this app could help a librarian narrow them down.

The application also includes contests and giveaways, both online and live. In addition, readers can sign up to be notified through the app when their favorite author has a new release coming up. An author’s entry in NE often includes a bio as well as a list of titles, website addresses, social media connections, and any awards the author has received.

Allison Kelley, RWA’s executive director, strongly believes this app will be of value to librarians. “The app is a great tool for…romance readers to use to find books they can then go check out via their library or request that their libraries add to their collections. We think this will be a great resource for librarians to use for romance readers advisory.”

The app, which is free, is still in the process of being updated. “We have a website version on the way,” Kelley says.

It’s up to RWA members to apply to be part of NE. Some of the authors currently listed include Sandra Brown, Sylvia Day, Sabrina Jefferies, and Susan Wiggs.

According to a press release, the app lists 1,000 authors and over 5,000 romance novels. With RWA’s membership of 10,000 worldwide, those listings are certain to increase in the future. And with an estimated $1 billion in sales of the genre, this app is sure to help librarians and readers find the perfect romance reading fit.

To learn more about the app and download it, visit www.rwa.org or www.novelengagement.com.

The post Need More Romance? There’s An App for That first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Even though Connecticut’s situation is unique compared to most of the country, the concept of state e-book collections is not unusual. Reading Arizona is a program being developed that allow state residents, based on IP address, access to a standalone website to check out e-books. Somewhere down the line the program hopes to provide MARC records to local libraries to allow integration of titles to individual library systems. “What makes Reading Arizona unique is that all content will be specifically focused on Arizona topics and themes,” states Digital Content Coordinator Michelle Bickert of Arizona State Library. This could include popular fiction set in the state as well as academic material.

Evoke Colorado is in the early stages of a similar program for its state’s libraries. The goal is to have content for all types of libraries in the state. “Down the road, the platform is envisioned to simply be…a place where thousands of publishers can directly sell their content to libraries, where collection development librarians can select and manage e-books and other e-content, and where end users can discover e-content,” states Jim Duncan, executive director of the Colorado Library Consortium.  At some point, there might even be a variety of content that includes e-books, e-audiobooks, movies, videos, and more.

Such an undertaking does take time, funds, and patience to cover new technological ground. Challenges have included convincing stakeholders at all levels that these projects are good for their patrons. Finding the right collaborators to not only create a central location for the e-material to be stored but also to maintain that location over a period of time can be a daunting task. But leaders within both programs seem focused on the outcome of providing rich and diverse e-content for their state’s patrons. “We want to carefully manage development so that it meets the needs of Colorado libraries first,” says Duncan.

Both programs are still working on preliminary steps and may have some testing available this fall. Check both websites for the latest info.

The post Two States Creating State-Wide Library E-book Collections first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Don’t get me wrong, I like technology. I am not advocating we throw our e-readers out the window! What I am advocating is that we start calling this trend for what it is: merely another new format that has its place, not the be all and end all for the future.

We all know the advantages e-readers have. Sellers have assured this. Mass market advertisers have done their part, now it is time for librarians to share the facts. This has been our role throughout history.

Recently on a national librarian list a discussion arose as to how to incorporate e-readers into story time. Schools are purchasing tablets for all students. I have heard endlessly that students will be doing all their work on electronic devices and, of course, that print is obsolete.

As librarians we know this is not true. We know that this trend is not good for education and literacy. We know that this is not simply ‘our biased opinion,’ but that this is backed by scientific research. We know that print still flies off our shelves. We know that never mind that ‘not everything on the Internet is true,’ not everything IS on the internet, or should be.

And yet, what I hear so often from all parties— librarians included— is that we must embrace the electronics. We must introduce them to our patrons at the earliest age and encourage and support their use. Why? I’m told because it is the future. Join up or get left behind.

To this I say that as long as we follow this false trail, we will make it our future. But what future are we actually making? I would much rather explain to a young mother why I am NOT using an e-reader at story time and don’t encourage her to do so, then try to assure my popularity or function by jumping on a media created bandwagon.

E-readers are great devices. They serve a purpose in our busy world. So do hammers and screwdrivers and instant coffee. We do not abandon screw drivers because we have hammers. We do not stop drinking ground coffee because we now have instant. There is a time and a place for all things. As librarians, it’s time we start to explain the time and place for electronics and that their time and place is not everywhere at all times.

The post A Time and A Place For Everything first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

1. Print material is still important. eBook sales continue to climb dramatically, but the rest of the book market is increasing as well. According to the Association of American Publishers, in October 2012, eBook sales were up by 46% and general book sales were up by 8.7%.  In just five years, eBook sales have taken over 22% of the market.[1]  However, this still means that the majority of book sales are in print. What does this mean for libraries? The bottom line is that print books are still in wide demand and account for the largest market share.  So we as librarians shouldn’t expect print books to become drastically less important to our customers.

2. The growth of eBooks is undeniable, but we can’t be certain where the future lay. Predictions vary from digital content replacing all hard copies to the eBook market leveling out at its current market share. Part of the exponential growth of eBook sales is due to the huge increase of eBook  availability. In 2005, there were 110K eBooks and in 2006, 135K. By 2011, after Amazon debuted the Kindle, it boasted over 950K titles. And Len Riggio, Chairman of Barnes & Noble contends that eBook adoption will level out at about 30% of the market share [2]. While we can’t consult a crystal ball, we can be fairly safe in saying not to put all your money into eBooks just yet.

3.  What we do know is that readers are enjoying reading in different formats and borrowing from a multitude of sources. The evolution of digital content has fueled reading in general and now readers expect content in different ways and are reaching out to more places to get it. A study by the PEW Research Center last summer looked at libraries, patrons, and eBooks.  One of the most interesting findings, in my opinion, was the book borrowing behavior. Library card holders are more than twice as likely to have bought their most recent book than to have borrowed it from a library. Many e-book borrowers purchase e-books, too. [3]

The post Balance of Books & Technology: pBooks vs. eBooks first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Final year of college and Bliss Edwards  a) doesn’t know what she really wants to do with her life, b) is just sort of sliding through by studying hard and being a “good girl”, c) has two really great friends who not only push her boundaries but support her and d) is still a virgin for no particular reason. After major pushing from friend Kelsey, she agrees to at least chuck the V-card.

After a disastrous, failed, one-night-stand with a Perfect Stranger who still leaves her hot and bothered, she finds out that he is her new professor. From there on Bliss is no longer using her head but letting her emotions rule. As their illicit affair continues, Bliss finds that life gets a lot more complicated when you let emotions take over.

Girls in their upper teens may find this enjoyable since they are still exploring what it means to be an adult. While the characters are underdeveloped, they are basically likeable and share some, though not many, characteristics with people in the real world. The plot is thin and the romance has no depth, but it’s an easy, quick read and it is burning up the digital best-seller lists.

Digital Details

The post Book Review – Losing It by Cora Carmack first appeared on Public Libraries Online.