Blog Archives
Post Holiday eBook Clinics Wrap Up
I wrapped up another round of eBook clinics last night. The attendance more than DOUBLED from the pre Christmas eBook clinics. The total number of people who came to the clinics this round was 213. In Nov/Dec it was 98.
When we scheduled this round of eBook clinics I knew a lot of people would be getting eReaders/tablets over the holidays. I had no idea that the number nearly doubled across the country. I’m glad we scheduled this round of eBook clinics. With so many people getting a new digital reading device there was a new segment of our population that needed help using our digital collection.
Learning to use our OverDrive collection was the main reason people attended the sessions. We covered the basics of using the collection by checking out books in the Kindle and ePub formats and an audiobook. After checking out each format I loaded the title on a device. During the process I discussed some of the differences between formats (Kindle/ePub, WMA/MP3) and why they matter. I informed everyone about the software many of them would need to use the collection – Adobe Digital Editions (ePub eBooks), OverDrive Media Console (audiobooks) – and the Adobe ID that is also required for many devices. I placed a hold and told everyone about the 72 hour window of claiming that hold. We went through the ‘My Account’ features explaining what each one does and why they are useful. It was a very quick demo with a lot of information.
One of the things I stressed at each session was the dependence we have on publishers. I told the attendees about the restrictions some publishers invoke and how two big publishers don’t let any library lend their eBooks. We talked about the reason why they had to place holds on digital content that should be available to download at anytime. Digital Rights Management was explained as well as possible.
Questions from the attendees were welcome at any time during the demonstration. There were many and sometimes other people jumped in to help answer them. It was great.
The entire demonstration of our collection including the discussion about publishers and DRM usually took a little over an hour. After that, people who had device issues had the opportunity to ask me (or the branch staff) questions and hopefully get their questions answered. Many people took advantage of this. Most people left after the initial demo/discussion.
It was a good experience and I’m starting to schedule monthly eBook clinics for our clusters. These will start in March.
The vast majority of people who came out were 50+ with most being 60+. They were all eager to learn. I hope I helped raise their comfort level with the library, our digital collection and their device(s).
My eBook Clinic Experience
I wrapped up my first round of eBook Clinics last night and it has been quite the experience. I went to all of the libraries in my library system (8) and over the past 4 weeks to try and help people in my community learn more about eBooks, eReaders and our digital collection. I think it was pretty successful.
98 people attended the 8 sessions. The attendance varied by location, 27 was the most and 3 was the fewest. The people that attended were mostly retirees. There were some younger people and I even had one father and son (5th or 6th grade) attend at one location. Some had devices, most were looking to buy one.
The people with devices asked a lot of questions about how to use our digital collection. I was able to help most of them become more comfortable with the process of browsing the collection, checking something out and getting it on their device. I also did a bit of troubleshooting.
The people looking to buy a device were looking to learn more about the different devices available. We spent a lot of time talking about the difference between eReaders and tablets. We discussed Kindles, Nooks and the other options. There was a lot of talk about how Kindles are different from other eReaders.We adapted some information from here into a handout that I think was kinda helpful for people looking to buy a device.
We also talked about how our digital collection is controlled in large part by the publishers. Many of the people who attended the clinics had no idea that we are limited in what we can purchase and provide to them. I hope I was able to explain (nicely?) that there will be some titles that we will be unable to provide no matter what. Why? Because the publishers won’t let us. I got the impression they understood this and accepted that we are trying to provide the best collection possible.
It was a good experience! I enjoy getting out of the office, visiting our libraries, seeing some friends and meeting new people. It’s also good to be able to help demystify something for people. I’m not an expert but I know enough to help most of the people who attended the eBook clinics.
I’ve got a post Christmas round of eBook clinics scheduled for January/February and will start preparing for it very soon…like today.
Friday Reads – Lack of Focus Edition
This week has been a bit hard. I haven’t really felt like reading much or thinking about anything other than my family. My grandmother passed away on Mother’s Day surrounded by her children in a comfortable place she was 88.
She was a big inspiration to me and is a major reason I am who I am. She always encouraged me to read and learn as much as I could. She taught me to appreciate the beauty of nature and passed on her love of hiking and the mountains.
I’m lucky I got to know her as well as I did. When I was in graduate school she lived within walking distance of my house. I would visit her frequently and we would often eat lunch together. We discussed many things and talked about whatever books we were reading at the time. She was the most well read person I have ever known. She read just about everything you were ‘supposed’ to read and lots of other things. She was NOT a Harlequin Romance reader. I could go on and on but I won’t.
I love her dearly and will miss her the rest of my life.
This week’s posts
This week Google announced they would begin selling Google branded ‘Chromebooks‘ in June. These computers will only go online and will be powered by ChromeOS. ChromeOS is essentially the Chrome browser. The prices are in line with most netbooks but they will have business and student plans. These plans allow businesses and students to lease the machines for a monthly fee ($28 business $20 student). I don’t know if they will work staff but they may be an option for our public machines. The monthly fee covers all upgrades, there is no licensing or security and they even replace the hardware after a few years. How much do we spend on pc’s, licensing and hardware upgrades?
I’m including three posts about this topic today because they all touch on different aspects of the device.
- Chromebook is the Culmination of Google’s Web Strategy, But Will it Sell?
- Chromebook: Like Good Wine, It Gets Better With Time
- Five Reasons why Google’s Linux Chromebook is a Windows killer
I’ve always been intrigued by this idea. Check out a person to learn more about them, their ideas, history and beliefs.
Good news on digital privacy from California. The State Senate unanimously passed a bill that upgrades reader privacy laws to include digital distribution. I hope it passes the House and becomes law. If it does maybe it will be picked up in other states.
This is a good list and worth reading. My favorites:
- Libraries are there for all ages.
- Libraries are there in a crisis.
- Libraries offer the human touch.
Friday Reads – Pollen Edition
Hand print in pollen
Two things on a pollen related note:
- We learned that my oldest daughter has basic pollen and mold allergies this week.
- Pollen levels have been pretty high in the Richmond area lately.
That makes for an unhappy little girl. I guess we’ll help the good people at Claritin put their kids through college now…
In professional news, my friend Phil and I submitted two proposals to speak at this year’s Virginia Library Association conference this week.
- Proposal #1: We want to have a discussion with other attendees about the future of libraries, what they think about them and how we can make it better. The plan is to have a brief presentation about changes libraries have managed already, show some things other libraries are doing now to manage change then open up for discussion. Will it get selected? Don’t know. It’s worth a shot though. We are calling it “Library Crystal Ball” (cheesy…or clever?)
- Proposal #2: Technology Petting Zoo. We’re bringing the library’s gadgets and are encouraging other conference attendees to bring theirs to this session. Instead of standing in front of a room and telling them about what the gadgets will do we will encourage them to play with them and ask questions. We are calling it “Bring Your Own Gadget…or not”
We’ll find out in June if either of our proposals are accepted. I’ve never presented at a conference before so if they pick one or both it will be my rookie presentation. Should be fun though.
The links this week are all over the place. Municipal broadband, a library ‘love’ letter, more eBook frustration, a library prediction and a great discussion about a popular service.
Since we recently began offering Freegal, I found this post very interesting. As you can tell from the title, Sarah doesn’t like Freegal. Her reasons are solid and she makes a good argument. The comments are where the real action is though. Wow! That’s a fantastic discussion.
I don’t share her opinion. My experience with the people at Library Ideas has been pretty positive. I do worry about the sustainability of the service though. It’s not cheap and it is not a core service. We may not renew our service if things don’t improve financially.
Oh wow! Where to start? This is a very interesting piece. Mike Shatzkin is a pretty smart guy and he discusses the future of libraries here. It’s a thought provoking piece. Here’s a quote:
The core purpose — the founding purpose — of a library, around which other things have grown, is to deliver access to printed words. Even the smallest local library almost certainly had more content housed within it than any individual had in their home and, in most cases, far more content than would be available at any local store. It was the books in the library that initially defined the library and attracted a core of patrons to it. When all of us have access to more books on our screens than are in the library, what’s the point to the library?
But not all is lost. He finishes up with this:
…librarianship will be needed by people long after buildings full of books are not. That’s going to require an entirely new business model that hasn’t been invented yet.
Friday Reads – Birthday Edition
This was an interesting week.
Yes. Henrico Libraries DO Rock!
The big event was our All Henrico Reads on Tuesday with local boy done great David Baldacci. He was born and raised in Henrico county and everyone is very proud of his success.
The event was great! Over 1200 people came out on Tuesday night to see him speak and sign books. He’s a great speaker and a very good sport. He stayed until 10pm and signed every book put in front of him. He also spoke to hundreds of students in two separate assemblies during the day. I can only imagine how tired he must have been. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and hope he continues to produce bestselling books. You should check out his literacy foundation and consider giving them some money if you can.
Today is my birthday so I will be helping the local economy by eating out for every meal. My oldest daughter and I went to IHOP for breakfast. She loves the Create-A-Face Pancakes. Lunch will be with the wife and youngest daughter. Location is yet to be determined. Dinner will be pizza. I will not cook today!
This week’s links are less focused on technology than most of my past posts. I like the idea of gamifying the library but I don’t know how we can do it here. It is something to think about though. There is good news/bad news and on the eBook front. And some creative people in Spain have come up with a novel way to make souvenirs.
This is simply cool. You’ll have to look at the video to get the full effect. The people who thought this up are very creative and smart.
Bad news on the eBook front. It looks like the State Librarian for Kansas is balking at increased rates proposed by Overdrive. It looks like a complicated issue. I wonder what will happen. It will probably affect us at some point.
Good news on the eBook front. Harper Collins is willing to negotiate with libraries. I hope they mean it and we can use this as a way to find a good/fair model that works for libraries and publishers.
Brian Herzog discusses gamifying the library. The idea is to reward people who follow the rules. It’s an interesting idea and one that we should think about. What to reward? How?
Andy discusses gamifying the library. He asks some questions that should be asked when deciding whether or not to make a game and proposes one of his own. I don’t see his game working for us but maybe we can come up with one that will.
Friday Reads – Final Four Edition
First off. GO RAMS! My wife’s alma mater is in the Final Four! It would be sweet if they won it all! Even if they don’t they have energized the entire Richmond metro area. Kudos to them! It’s great exposure for a great school. Just two more wins!
Did I mention that we’ve almost got a contract signed for Boopsie? No? Well, it looks like things are moving fairly quickly (quickly being a relative term) for my library to begin working with Boopsie to provide mobile apps on all mobile platforms. I’m excited by this and hope it doesn’t get derailed somewhere. I’m keeping my fingers crossed…
On to the links for the week!
Look! only 1.5 links about eBooks. I’m getting better…
If you read nothing else on the list for this week read this. It a great interview and Tim O’Reilly has interesting answers to good questions. He’s a very smart man and has an interesting philosophy on many things. His take on DRM is very interesting:
Let’s say my goal is to sell 10,000 copies of something. And let’s say that if by putting DRM in it I sell 10,000 copies and I make my money, and if by having no DRM 100,000 copies go into circulation and I still sell 10,000 copies. Which of those is the better outcome? I think having 100,000 in circulation and selling 10,000 is way better than having just the 10,000 that are paid for and nobody else benefits.
So, read this. It’s a little long but worth it.
Eric Landes does a great job of explaining the conundrum publishers are facing with eBooks. He makes a pretty sane recommendation for the pricing of eBooks. He doesn’t discuss libraries and that’s good because I’m interested in learning more about the publisher’s point of view.
This is a great use of Amazon and the Library. Too bad she couldn’t do this within the library’s catalog.
Lane Wilkinson provides a quick framework for understanding the term ‘literacy’. I admit that I am a bit confused by all of the different ‘literacies’ and am hesitant to embrace ‘transliteracy’. Maybe I’ll come around but I like this post as a primer for all of the ‘literacies’ out there.
Kansas City will partner with Google to deliver SUPER FAST internet service. It will be interesting to see how this works, if other communities get an opportunity to try it and how the big ISPs will react.
Friday Reads Sweet Sixteen Weekend Edition
I’m really looking forward to the weekend. It’s been a long week and I don’t feel like I accomplished much.
I’d like to thank Nate for reposting my Modest eBook Proposal post on his site. It’s gotten some pretty thoughtful comments. I appreciate that a lot. It’s good to get comments about eBooks and libraries from people not employed by libraries.
I don’t know what’s going to happen with regards to eBooks, publishers, and libraries. It’s a bit scary and not only because I’m many years away from retirement, with a mortgage, and a family to support. I think libraries are one of the only places left that can actually benefit ALL of society. But we need to change how we do business if we are going to be around for the next 100+ years. We should really question our focus and how we chose to spend our community’s money. I have no answers. Lots of questions and hope are all I can offer.
Hope you enjoy this week’s links:
Francine Fialkoff thanks Harper Collins for making librarians question the current model of digital distribution. I do too.
David Lankes give us his opinion on publishers, digital content, and libraries. I’ve been looking forward to hearing what he has to say on this issue. He doesn’t disappoint. Here’s a quick bit:
We shouldn’t be angry with publishers – we should help them see there is life in the digital frontier – that they can be more than their inventory. Just like us. And like us it doesn’t have to be for free (libraries are not free – members pay for them with tuition, taxes, budget lines and so on).
This is a very interesting article about the effects of file-sharing on the recording industry. The author highlights some studies that suggest illegal file-sharing did not have the negative effect the recording industry says it did. Other factors (ex lousy economy and reduced discretionary income) are more likely the causes of the decline in revenue for the recording industry. Definitely worth a read.
Steve Matthews discusses the difference between the library as ‘Community Center’ and ‘Center of the Community’. Big difference.
I’m sure risk management would love this idea. While we may not run with this particular type of program/service it is worth thinking about new ways to engage our community. Ideas like this, while they may not stick, are good to consider.
This week’s list wouldn’t be complete without reference to the Google Books decision. Ars Technica does a good job of summing up the implications of Judge Chin’s decision.
A Modest eBook Proposal
I’ve got an eBook idea that I’d like to bounce off the dozen or so people who read my stuff. I don’t know if it would work. That’s why it’s called an proposal and not a plan.
Ready? Here it is.
To any publiser willing to experiment with a new distribution model I propose the following:
- We will give you a big bag of money each year.
- With this bag of money we expect our library patrons to be able to access your entire catalog of electronic material (books and audiobooks)
- We also require that the one person per title model be done away with.
- We’d like for our people to be able to download any book at any time without having to wait on a digital copy.
That is all we really require. So what are we willing to do to make this more palatable to you?
- We will limit the number of titles an individual has checked out to a very low number.
- How about 2 at a time?
- These digital copies will be packed full of DRM
- So copying your material will be difficult for the average user.
- The titles will also be unsuable after a few weeks of being checked out.
- and need to be checked out again
- We will pay a bonus for titles that are very popular.
- So if a certain title is checked out 100 times (just a number I made up) we will give you a small bag of money.
- On the flip side of this; if a title is purchased by one of our people while he/she has it checked out we get a credit.
- So if a certain title is checked out 100 times (just a number I made up) we will give you a small bag of money.
This seems like a good idea to me. Libraries get access to a lot of eBooks, publishers get paid, and authors of popular books get paid extra. Granted, there are a lot of details to be worked out. Like:
- How big is that annual bag of money?
- How big is that smaller bag of money?
- How often is it paid?
- What is a reasonable number of checkouts to trigger a bonus payment?
- How do we set it all up?
- Technically speaking
Anyone want to discuss this proposal? Is it silly? Will it work? I’ve got no idea. I’m just tired of people complaining about eBook distribution and not providing any alternatives. So here is an alternative. This is just a starting point. Let’s talk.
Articles of Interest March 4-11
So. This week was fun.
I spent last Saturday at the Kite Festival and had a great time! They say that over 20,000 people were there and I can believe it. When I left at 2:30 there were cars lined up for miles waiting to get in.
I spent the day Wednesday getting a crash course in the mobile web. I watched a great video by Luke Wroblewski about designing for the mobile web first. I’m no designer or web developer but I got a lot out of his presentation. The thinking (as best I can understand) is, designing for mobile will make you really think about what you want in your site. It should help you focus on what is important and what isn’t. It’s a good talk. So if you’ve got 54 minutes take a look.
After the video I watched an online demo of Boopsie. I set this up a few weeks ago for my boss and others so they could get an idea about what Boopsie does. I like the product and think we can use it to improve our connections with people with smartphones. The demo went well and I think ‘the decision makers’ liked it. We will see what happens. I’d like to get it.
Then in the afternoon I watched this webinar by ALA Techsource. It was about making mobile services work for your library. I enjoyed it but didn’t really much new information from it.
I took Tuesday off to hang out with my parents. I went in late on Thursday so I could go to a special event at my youngest daughter’s school.
The ACC Tournament is this week. Go Heels!
For this week’s links I’ve got more eBook posts (sorry I’m trying to learn more), plus one about website redesign.
Aaron Schmidt makes the case for iterative web design. Instead of a complete redesign make small improvements frequently. Something for us to think about as we discuss making changes to our website.
Om Malik discusses the ‘unbundling’ of media. He compares it to what happened to the telecom industry in the 1990′s.
Just as telecoms of the past maintained their near monopoly by controlling the last mile of the network, the media companies maintained their money machine by controlling the distribution network: trucks, radio waves and television frequencies. The arrival of cable loosened their grip, but not as much.
Then came the Internet, which meant the distribution network was no longer under control of a select few.
ReadWriteWeb asks the question I’ve been asking myself.
This post caused a bit of negative feedback from librarians. Justified or not, I think the points he makes are valid from a publisher’s point of view. If we are going to figure out a solution to eBook distribution we should be learning as much as we can about the publisher’s position.
This post does a great job of discussing the main points libraries are facing with eBooks. Then a plan is actually provided. The plan looks good and I like the vision. My question (as always) is how do we get started? It is a good idea and should be investigated.
Jessamyn West provides her views on a recent meeting she attended about the Digital Public Library of America. I’m happy she was there. I’m pretty sure she represented libraries and librarians very well. The DPLA is something I really have to learn more about. It is in very early stages but it has interest from many different people and organizations.
Yet another #hcod blog post
Like many librarians this week, my thoughts have been dominated by the recent Harper Collins decision to change the way they distribute their eBooks to libraries. I am unhappy about this decision. There have been many blog posts and tweets about this and as much as I’d like to add my voice to the mix I really don’t have anything new to offer. I’m not as eloquent, fierce, or energetic as the people leading the charge. I’m grateful to these and many other people for their vocal and thoughtful comments about the situation. They have kept me informed and helped me think through this issue. I’ve been working in libraries for over a dozen years and I’ve never seen the majority of the profession this focused on one issue. It’s amazing! (Of course, it would be nice to have some sort of statement from THE national library organization…but I digress)
I do have one idea though. I’d like to see librarians get to know their local publishers. Most localities have small publishers we could get to know. Why? One reason is to learn more about the publishing industry. How can we negotiate with publishers if we don’t understand what they are going through? We see our side of this situation and understand it very well. Having a better understanding of the publisher’s side can only help us.
By establishing relationships with local publishers this may give us the opportunity to experiment with new methods of digital distribution. This will take some time and we will really need to establish a great relationship with them. The benefits could be great. We could work with them to create a method of distribution that could benefit libraries and publishers. If we find something that works on a local level it may work on a national level. It’s an idea. Maybe someone can run with it. I’m hoping to contact some of the local publishers soon.
Here’s to a great opportunity to create something new!
The links I’m highlighting this week are my favorites. There are many other great posts about this topic. If I included all of them none would get read. The list is that long. Bobbi Newman has done a great job of keeping a list of the posts. I’ve created a short list of more of my favorites.
- A great discussion of (what I feel) is the real issue with eBooks and libraries: attempting to make digital distribution of content mimic the physical distribution of content. Nicholas Schiller understands this and explains it much better than I possibly could.
- Sarah Glassmeyer gives us some economics concerning eBooks and libraries. Bad news, if the public buys just one book that would have been a check out then the publishers will be ok. She’s not an accountant but her point is well made. The publishers will be just fine not doing business with libraries.
- Eric Hellman challenges the ‘Pretend it’s Print’ mindset of many publishers (and librarians) have with digital content. He mentions a tiered pricing structure as a possible alternative. Although he doesn’t really go into this idea it’s one that I’m open to learning more about. Others have mentioned it also so maybe I’ll get my chance to learn.
- Bill Rosenblatt reviews the technical and legal backdrop to what Harper Collins is doing and offers opinions on different possibilities. Very informative and level-headed. Good to have a legal perspective.
- Chad Marin argues for a one book/many readers model of eBook distribution. I like this idea very much. How to get it done? Who negotiates with the publishers? How will it work? How is copyright protected? Many questions but they can be answered.
