Tag Archives: ebooks

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, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

eBook Basics Webinar

ebook-mn5Have you taken a look at the new Explore eBooks MN website?

Join fellow public, academic, school and special librarians in a statewide effort to explore the integration of eBooks into libraries, grown an understanding of how eBooks and digital content impact libraries, and engage in conversation around the future of eBooks in Minnesota. The Explore eBooks MN series of event will combine the internal expertise of Minnesotans with perspectives from national eBook innovators to further our professional understanding and build consensus. Expand your knowledge base by attending any or all of the event. Improve your library’s capacity to embrace a digital future by participating in each Explore eBooks MN event. For the full line up of events, go to http://www.mnebook.org/home

 

Webinar #1: eBook Basics

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (Central Time)

Description: eBooks are a fact of life for libraries of all types. This session will define common terms, describe what eBooks are, and give insight into how libraries are managing eBooks. the goal of this session is to provide a solid understanding of what eBooks are and how they impact libraries.

This webinar panel presentation is open to all public, academic, K-12, and special librarians, and anyone else with an interest in the future of eBooks in Minnesota.

Register now for this webinar!

Registration is open for all five webinars now….all webinar content will be archived, but attend live to get your questions answered!

 

 

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Upcoming MN eBook Events

TO:  Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: April 7, 2014
SUBJECT: Explore eBooks MN Webinar Series and Summit

Save the Date(s): Explore eBooks MN

Join fellow public, academic, school and special librarians in a statewide effort to explore the integration of eBooks into libraries, grow an understanding of how eBooks and digital content impact libraries, and engage in conversation around the future of eBooks in Minnesota. The Explore eBooks MN series of events will combine the internal expertise of Minnesotans with perspectives from national eBook innovators to further our professional understanding and build consensus. Improve your library’s capacity to embrace a digital future by participating in each Explore eBooks MN event.

Live Webinars*

1. eBook Basics, Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 1–2 p.m.
2. Access to eBooks: Challenges Facing Libraries and Publishers, Wednesday, May 21, 2014, 1–2 p.m.
3. eBooks in Libraries: Consortial Models, Thursday, June 19, 2014, 1–2 p.m.
4. eBooks in Libraries: A Business Models Overview, Wednesday, June 25, 2014, 1–2:15 p.m.
5. eContent Creation in Libraries, Wednesday, July 23, 2014, 1–2 p.m.

*Webinars will be recorded and archived by Minitex.

Explore eBooks MN Summit

Wednesday, August 13, 2014, 9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN

More details and registration information to follow. Visit the Explore eBooks MN website, or contact Jennifer Nelson at jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us or Jennifer Verbrugge at jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Four News Items on E-Content

E-Content

Some rights reserved by Joelstuff
Some rights reserved by
Joelstuff

The following snippets are shared with permission from the  02/26/14 electronic issue of American Libraries Direct, American Libraries Association

Sharing ebooks on the Razor’s edge
James LaRue writes: “The Greater Western Library Alliance of 33 academic libraries may have hit on something by wielding the library equivalent of Occam’s Razor to shave its members’ collective ILL woes. Its product, the work of program developers at Texas Tech University and the University of Hawaii–Manoa, is called Occam’s Reader. It pilots an approach, in as straightforward a manner as possible, that allows universities to share their ebooks without giving away the store.”…
AL: E-Content, Feb. 25

Publishing has entered a new era
Brian O’Leary writes: “We are moving inexorably toward what I have called a ‘pre-book world’: a living manifestation of the development, refinement, and extension of a particular work. At various points, an object—a book or ebook—may be rendered, but it will be a subset of a conversation that includes content, comments, annotations, and sources. The internet has shifted traditional publishing from a gatekeeping role (deciding what will be published) to a truer form of curation (managing the communities and conversations that will inform a rendered component).”…
The Bookseller: FutureBook, Feb. 20

Epic! app offers children’s books
A new startup called Epic! brings a totally kid-friendly bookshelf and book reading experience to the iPad. Cofounded by online gaming veteran Suren Markosian and former YouTube exec Kevin Donahue, Epic is an all-you-can-read app aimed at kids aged 12 and under that provides access to some 2,000 titles for online and offline reading. The subscription service costs $9.99 per month….
TechCrunch, Feb. 24

GPO expands ebook program
The US Government Printing Office is expanding the agency’s ebook program through its Federal Depository Library Program to increase public access to information. The public now has free access to ebook titles using GPO’s Catalog of US Government Publications. The first release includes approximately 100 titles, and GPO will continue work with federal agencies to make new titles available each month….
US Government Printing Office, Feb. 25