Tag Archives: eBook

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Access to eBooks Webinar

ebook-mn5TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: May 8, 2014
SUBJECT: Explore eBooks MN Webinar

Access to eBooks: Challenges Facing Libraries and Publishers

Wednesday, May 21, 2014, 1–2 p.m.

Providing cost-effective access to eBooks is a central concern of Minnesota’s libraries. The barriers to providing access to eContent collections varies by type of library, and is driven, at least in part, by a tension between the practices of publishers designed to increase sales and the desire of libraries to provide access to content of high interest and/or need to patrons. Additionally, companies use digital rights management (DRM) to restrict certain book formats to work with specific devices, forcing libraries to purchase a single title in multiple formats. This session will explore the challenges facing academic, public and K-12 libraries. Participants will emerge with a deeper understanding of the shared barriers to increasing cost-effective access to eContent and learn about the groundbreaking work of the ReadersFirst initiative.

Intended Audience: Open to all public, academic, K-12, and special librarians, and others interested in learning more about eBooks and libraries.

Presenter: Jamie LaRue, LaRue and Associates Consulting
After leading the Douglas County (Colorado) Libraries for over 23 years, Jamie LaRue struck out on his own to be a full time thought leader. He writes, speaks, and consults about the future of public libraries. He is the author of “The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges,” and is well known for the Douglas County Libraries Model, a library platform for the management of eBooks.

Register now. There is no fee to attend this webinar.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Grants to States program, administered by the Minnesota Department of Education, State Library Services.

For more information, contact Jennifer Verbrugge at 651-582-8356 or jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us.

This webinar is the second of five webinars leading up to the August Explore eBooks MN Summit event at St. Catherines University. Get all of the details about the webinars and the Summit at  Explore eBooks MN today!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

DCL eBook April Report

Glasses Hey Paul StudiosIf you have never looked at one of these reports, it is good to remind ourselves of a few things. First, you can readily see which eBooks are currently most popular for a given month. But the main point of the report is to pay close attention to the difference in pricing of eBooks for Libraries versus eBook pricing for Consumers. James LaRue makes a couple of good points: “First, self-published works don’t always make it onto this type of list, even if they are wildly successful, when they lack an ISBN. Second, DCL staff couldn’t get into Bilbary despite repeated attempts, so that column has been removed.”…

Go to DCL ebook report, April 

The PDF file  is also available for the pricing comparisons.

Most consumers, legislators, and even administrators do not understand the pricing disparities that libraries are experiencing for eBooks. We can be part of the solution by paying attention and sharing this information more broadly.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Oyster: The Netflix of eBooks?

Some rights reserved by Wishpond
Some rights reserved by Wishpond

Have you heard of Oyster? It is an online service which touts “unlimited eBooks for just $9.95 a month.”  Oyster, has a colorful,  appealing interface, but I am not sold on the collection at this point. At this time, it includes 800 publishers and includes 100,000 books, some of which are already in the free public domain from other sites. It also currently runs only on iOS 7 devices (iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch).

Sounds and feels a bit like a Netflix experience, like streaming, although in fact the files are downloadable EPUBs, with DRM. Does Oyster pose a threat to libraries? Oyster’s biggest current drawback (IMHO) is the lack of very current materials; they don’t focus on new or “front list” titles (they shoot for a 90-day embargo). It is also unclear to me about the richness of the rest of the collection, but take a look, they are offering a free 30 day trial. Share your experience in the comments field. Read a blog post  from ALA at Are there pearls in this Oyster?
AL: E-Content, Jan. 20

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

100 Sites for Free E-Books

Image by melentia2012. Retrieved from FlickR. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by melentia2012. Retrieved from FlickR. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Ready, set, go….everyone loves a free download!

I must admit I post this one with a little trepidation.  I certainly cannot be sure each of these sites is indeed legal, although the title of the site says so,  but I certainly recognize many of them that are.  But then I remembered my reading audience….staff in Central MN libraries, people who care about detail, about copyright, and the rights of authors! Organized into fourteen categories (not arranged alphabetically) but including everything from the classics to plays to rare books to textbooks. Certainly a treasure trove for book hounds….share your favorite finds (or concerns) in the comments field please! Oh, the link…..go to http://tinyurl.com/qzkws3l

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

New PEW Report on E-Reading

Print

According to an overview of the E-Reading Rises as Device Ownership Jumps report  from Pew Internet on January 16th…

The proportion of Americans who read e-books is growing, but few have completely replaced print books for electronic versions.

The percentage of adults who read an e-book in the past year has risen to 28%, up from 23% at the end of 2012. At the same time, about seven in ten Americans reported reading a book in print, up four percentage points after a slight dip in 2012, and 14% of adults listened to an audiobook.

Though e-books are rising in popularity, print remains the foundation of Americans’ reading habits. Most people who read e-books also read print books, and just 4% of readers are “e-book only.” Audiobook listeners have the most diverse reading habits overall, while fewer print readers consume books in other formats.

Explore survey questions, read or download the full PEW report (free) at http://tinyurl.com/mxzt5w2