The Future of E-Books and Libraries

When you walk into a library to borrow a book, traditionally we think of a printed book. A solid material you take home after it is checked out. However, a growing number of library patrons now turn to electronic devices to enjoy their reading; thus, the question of e-book enters the equation. 

Earlier this year there have been several talks between the Big Six Publisher (Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House and Simon & Schuster) and libraries regarding the introduction of e-book lending. Overall, the Big Six has been reluctant to team up with public libraries due to their fear of library e-books undercutting other sales. Currently, libraries are paying high prices to obtain e-books' titles from the Big Six Publisher. HarperCollins has a 26-lend limit on its library e-books. Random House nearly triples its e-book prices in March and Hachette recently confirmed it would more than double its prices.

Although there have been many obstacles, things are moving slightly forward. In June, Penguin launched a one year pilot project with vendor 3M and the New York Public Library. Macmillan officials recently announced that the publisher is also working on a pilot program that would enable e-book lending for libraries. This development is monumental since libraries have been fighting for equal access to e-books citing that library patrons should have equal access to print and electronic books. Despite recently developments, the future of e-books and libraries remain uncertain. 

What do YOU think?
Readers what do you think about e-books and public libraries? Do publishers have the right to be concern about their sales? Do public library patrons have the right to access e-books? Do you think a six-month delay release for public library e-books is fair?  

For more articles on the future of e-books and public libraries: 
The Digital Shift: Macmillan Confirms Ebook Pilot for Libraries         Publishers Weekly: Macmillan Poised to Test Library E-book Model
The Wall Street Journal: Libraries Cut E-Book Deal With Penguin
paidContent: Hachette to Raise Ebook prices for libraries by 220%

Protests Against Journal Publisher

Following the lead of British professor Tim Gower, a growing number of professors, librarians, researchers, and like-minded professionals are refusing to publish in, referee for, or join the editorial board for academic journal publishing giant Elsevier.

Supporters of the protest cite the incredibly high journal subscription prices as a main reason for their disassociation with Elsevier. Thomas Hales, a math professor at the University of Pittsburgh, stated his frustration plainly, asking "Why should university researchers donate their labor and intellectual property to Elsevier, just to have the publisher turn around and charge university libraries exorbitant prices for access?" (http://www.utimes.pitt.edu/?p=19679).

The price of scholarly journals has long been an issue, especially with university and library budgets being so tight. Open access, which allows unrestricted online access to scholarly journals for little or no cost, is gaining momentum as a viable solution. Time will tell whether this Elsevier protest will be a step toward bigger changes in the journal publishing market.

What does it take to be a professional librarian?

Blogger Mr. Library Dude shares his insight into what makes a professional librarian in this post:
 
"I graduated from a top library school." Yeah, so what?

His basic premise? 

"Library school is what you make of it. The MLS is just the basic requirement for the job. If all you do is take the required courses, but get no work experience, then you are setting yourself up for failure."

 So what can you do to make sure you succeed, according to Mr. Library Dude?  Get experience!  As much as you can during your degree-- put those skills you learn in class to work right away so that you have working librarians as references and real experience to prove you're right for  the job.

Most SLIS students see the wealth of campus library jobs as the program's main strength-- take advantage of it! 

Day Against DRM

Today marks the first Day Against DRM.

Digital Rights Management is technology that prevents users from copying, ripping, and remixing their digital media.  It can act as a barrier between content and the users who own or access it.  Librarians have every reason to be aware of this issue and active in addressing it.  Sarah Houghton-Jan, the Librarian in Black, has more.

The Next Generation of the Digital Book

With technology advancing as it is, what changes can be made to the traditional book to best capitalize on the new opportunities and abilities of such technologies?  This is a question that researchers and developers have been working on answering - with some newly released successes!  Software developer Mike Matas has recently released his first interactive book, meant to be accessed from an iPad. 

What is an interactive book, you might ask?  It's a book that takes advantage of the touch capabilities and the multimedia features inherent to the iPad to provide a different and varied reading experience.  His version of Al Gore's most recent book, Our Choice, incorporates swipe technology, video inserts, and much more!  Matas recently gave a TED talk about the book that is an interesting watch for anyone interested in the development of e-books.



What do you think?  Is the fully interactive and hyptertextual book the way of the future?

ALA calls on Congress to restore support to libraries in FY2012 budget

Check out the eponymous article here:
ALA calls on Congress to restore support to libraries in FY2012 budget.

This press release, of April 15th, is about the deep cuts to library services that the new federal budget bill, H.R. 1473, could make.  The bill includes a $28 million cut to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and shuffles the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program (which is the only federal program for school libraries) off on the Department of Education to determine funds for school libraries. 

ALA is making a case to Congress as the budget process moves forward.  ALA President Roberta Stevens  says:
“These cuts in funding hurt people throughout the United States who depend on libraries. We are putting our nation at a disadvantage as we compete in a world that realizes and values the importance of being educated and informed.”

An interesting question for future librarians - McMastergate!

Anyone who has an RSS feed to librarian blogs is probably aware of the comments made by Jeff Trzeciak, a librarian at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.  Trzeciak gave an invited presentation at Penn State.  Though the organizers of the program instructed Trzciak to be controversial, they may not have predicted the reaction of the blog-o-sphere to his comments.

What were these controversial statements?  Basically, Trzeciak said that he would no longer hire librarians for his organization, instead hiring PhDs and IT specialists.  You can watch the presentation here.  You can then read through some of the myriad responses, so graciously compiled by John Dupuis, of Confessions of a Science Librarian.

As new librarians hoping to enter the job market in the near future, how do we feel about Trzeciak's statements?  What about our knowledge and expertise sets us apart from other researchers?  How can we justify our training for our positions?