Comments on: Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration

By: eBooks in Libraries 2012 Mega Post | iLibrarian

eBooks in Libraries 2012 Mega Post | iLibrarian — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:58:42 +0000

[...] Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration [...]

By: 44 Library Tech Stories You May Have Missed – Part I | iLibrarian

44 Library Tech Stories You May Have Missed – Part I | iLibrarian — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:12:06 +0000

[...] Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration Email Google+ Twitter Tweet Facebook [...]

By: Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration | Entertainment & copyright | Scoop.it

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:59:32 +0000

[...] Forgive me if I don’t applaud the announcement that Penguin has returned try out a library eBook lending program with the New York Public Library. I know I’m going to eat my own words since I’m som… [...]

By: Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration -- What's the hurry? | Libraries and Readers | Scoop.it

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:35:27 +0000

[...] Forgive me if I don’t applaud the announcement that Penguin has returned try out a library eBook lending program with the New York Public Library. My new view of the library eBook landscape is that time is still on our side. Thoughtfulness of our community needs and tough analysis of financial and ownership (or lack thereof) implications should not be surrendered to the quick fix of current vendor/publisher models and offerings [...]

By: Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration | Librarysoul | Scoop.it

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 10:02:35 +0000

By: Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration | trends in bibliotheken | Scoop.it

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 10:02:06 +0000

By: Daniel Ransom

Daniel Ransom — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:42:45 +0000

What if one of these Penguin eBooks doesn’t even get checked out in that one-year limit? Does it still disappear (I’m certain the answer is ‘yes’)? I’m still a little shocked that the NYPL and ALA thought this one-year evaporation was a good deal for libraries.

By: John Keogh

John Keogh — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:09:56 +0000

All excellent points! I wonder though – how does public perception play into this issue? Patrons don’t see any of the contracts or behind-the-scenes stuff, they just want to be able to check out ebooks; in my experience – and this may just be my own community – but very few of the patrons at my library pay any attention at all to our budget/spending – but many, many people have been complaining to us about how few ebooks we have to offer. You say of ebooks that “It’s simply not a standard that the public library is being held to for usefulness by its communities” but in my community we are being held responible. With the popular media perpetuating the idea that libraries are becoming obsolete, a sit-back-and-wait approach to new technologies threatens to reinforce this mistaken view of our role in our communities. We shouldn’t be willing to agree to such massively restrictive and unfair agreements with publishers – but we also need our patrons to see us fighting to get them access. We need to be active advocates for our patrons in this new storytelling paradigm.

I know these things aren’t mutually exclusive, that’s not my argument. We do need to make sure that we’re not wasting tax-payer dollars and that we’re offering the best service to our patrons. And we need to be seen fighting for that service. It’s just that I don’t think we have a very good sense of the balance we need to strike with this issue. Because in the marketplace of public perception, something may very well be better than nothing.

By: Matthew Thomas

Matthew Thomas — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:14:14 +0000

In the academic library world, we’re a little better off, with more options for purchasing ebooks, selecting platforms and a patron population slightly more comfortable with technology. I do like the argument regarding ROI as a defense against restrictive subscription models: for some titles/topics it may work but it cannot be the general or universal rule. eJournals are a different kettle of fish: subscription models work there but perhaps that’s because the majority of the content may never be used in each ‘title’ whereas in an ebook, although there are chapters that see varying use, there’s a much higher chance of the entire ebook being read virtual cover to virtual cover.

By: Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration | iLibrarian

Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration | iLibrarian — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 11:58:23 +0000

[...] at Agnostic, Maybe writes a very thought-provoking piece titled, Calling Timeout on Library eBook Integration. He discusses the recent e-Book partnership between Penguin and the NYPL, as well as the current [...]