During the two day ebook track in at Internet Librarian there were a lot of references to articles, reports and books, by myself, and others so I thought I would put together a link round up.

Content by Cory Docotrow Seriously read this. It’s free to download in the format of your choice and it will help you understand DRM better than anything else.

E-book piracy may have unexpected benefits for publishers

O’Leary makes the distinction between the instances of e-book piracy (the number of pirated e-book files available for download) and the impact of e-book piracy (the actual effect on the business of publishing). For O’Leary, the two are related, but different. He says that one way to measure impact is to pick a book, wait for it to be pirated, and then compare sales before and after.

E-reader ownership doubles in six months

The percent of U.S. adults with an e-book reader doubled from 6% to 12% between November 2010 and May 2011

Across the digital divide. Let’s talk about poverty.

…every time a discussion of ebooks turns, seemingly inevitably, to “Print is dead, traditional publishing is dead, all smart authors should be bailing to the brave new electronic frontier,” what I hear, however unintentionally, is “Poor people don’t deserve to read.”

Theft vs Piracy

Book piracy: Less DRM, more data

Q: What’s the current impact of piracy on the book publishing industry?

A: Brian O’Leary: We don’t know. Some people will tell you that it’s the biggest problem facing publishing or that ebook piracy will kill publishing. None of those perspectives are informed by solid data

Heavy illegal downloaders buy more music

A new British independent poll conducted by Ipsos Mori concluded that the people who do the most illegal downloading also buy the most music. This is in line with many other studies elsewhere and is easy to understand: people who are music superfans do more of everything to do with music: they see more live shows, listen to more radio, buy more CDs, buy more botlegs of live shows, buy more t-shirts, talk about music more, do more downloading — all of it.

Mindset over matter: Timo Boezeman on the digital transition of a centuries-old analog industry.

Q: What is the largest hurdle publishers must overcome in the transition to digital?

A: Timo Boezeman: The largest hurdle in the transition is the mindset. Publishing is one of the oldest industries around and now has to deal with a transition from analog to digital at a speed that is at least twice as fast as the music industry faced.

Digital Underclass: What Happens When the Libraries Die?

Libraries will need to be replaced with digital equivalents as publishing moves towards eBooks. As a result, will a new “Digital Underclass” be created from the base of technology have-nots?

eBooks, Privacy, and the Library - Gary Price’s thought-provoking post from a couple of weeks ago.

Pew Research Center Announces New Research Initiative to Study the Changing Role of Public Libraries and Library Users in the Digital Age

IFLA Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters (CLM)

Sarah’s video rant

If you’re looking for write ups of the sessions you can find them over at the LibConf blog

There were so many I have no doubt I missed something so let me know!Similar Posts:

• Top Ten Links 2.3 – All About Ebooks
• Simon & Schuster and Hachette Book Group to Implement Embargo on eBooks
• 9 Reasons Publishers Should Stop Acting Like Libraries Are The Enemy

Sarah’s recent post - Why I am a library traitor and love the Kindle got me thinking – WHY is she a library traitor? I know I know, but hear me out.

I have a Kindle.

I love my Kindle.

You know what I do with  my Kindle? I buy books, books I didn’t check out from the library (the horror!).

But here’s the thing, wait for it, I’ve always bought books! Books I didn’t check out from the library (gasp!) and I’ve also always used the library. Really I have been a heavy library user since I can remember. From an early age I read print books. Later I learned to love audiobooks on CD or cassette and when movies became available I checked those out too, later still I checked out and downloaded ebooks and eaudibooks. But during all this time nothing changed – I never stopped buying books (or going to the movie, or renting movies or buying movies). In fact I buy so many books that I pay the $25 a year for the Barnes & Noble membership card because I really do spend enough for it to be worth. Before I got my MLS I worked as a clerk in a larger library system during the day and on the nights and weekends at the local Barnes and Nobles, and guess what I saw many of the same people in both places. Buying books and borrowing from the library are not mutually exclusive. As I see it I bought and borrowed books before I had a Kindle I will continue to buy and borrow books after I have a Kindle. I am not borrowing from the library less.

I get Sararh’s point and concern. IF my library had ebooks and IF they had a wide selection with choices that appealed to me, nevermind the insanely high prices they would have to pay for a service that only a select group of patrons can use, those ebooks would not work on my Kindle thanks to choices by Amazon.com. But they don’t, so I bought a Kindle, guilt free, because even with the selection available from my library there aren’t enough choices to convince me that a Nook or Sony was a better option and well, lets face it, my library still has a huge number of choices avialable as print or book on CD or cassette or downloadable audio or ebook which I can read on my computer or Android phone thanks to the OverDrive app. I got a Kindle because it allows me to take notes and highlight in my books (something the library frowns upon and part of the reason I’ve always bought books) and access those notes online (something the library doesn’t offer).

Sure OverDrive and other vendors are doing their best to provide eBooks for libraries. But the process is cumbersome. If it goes well great! But if it doesn’t the pitfalls are plentifiul and woe to the techie attempting to troubleshoot them over the phone.

The truth is this the ebook readers that are out there were created to make a profit for the creator – Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Borders etc. Sure some of them have allowed library ebooks to be loaded, but its not their primary purpuse and they sure as hell aren’t gonna help you figure it out. They are gonna sell you an ereader and put a boot in your butt on the way out the door. Need help with a book you bought from our store? No problem. Need help with a free book from the library or somewhere else? Too bad you’re on your own mate, nevermind that we lured you with that promise when we sold you the device. Unhappy? Angry? Gonna leave us for another ereader? Go for it! Just remember your books wont work on their devices.

This annoys me like crazy but is it really a problem? I mean I don’t expect my Play Station Games to play on an Xbox. So why should my Kindle books work on a Nook? Except that I can sell my PlayStation and the games if I decide to get an Xbox. And I can’t sell my ebooks. Except the truth is I seldom sell my books and never loan them. Bobbi doesn’t loan things, not books, not movies not games (judge all you like).  So how big of an issue is that I can’t lend my Kindle books? And as for selling them I have a pile of hardback nonfiction I’ve been trying to sell for a reasonable price on Amazon.com for 6 months now and they aren’t moving, so apparently while I could sell them, they aren’t selling either.

I don’t know how the ebook/ereader wars will play out. I do know this – I am leery of anyone who claims to. I am leery of anyone who claims there will be only one winner (we all drive different cars, why can’t we have different ereaders?)

But there is a problem and this one I am certain of – the ebook market is still playing out. Will they replace books? Supplement them? Fail all together? No one knows. But what we do know is that libraries are being cut out of the equation. That is a problem. I believe libraries are the key to closing the widening digital divide and participation gap we see.  Are ebooks are part of that solution? Maybe. And for that reason alone we need a voice.

Read More, Learn More, Get Involved:

• Library Renewal their goal is “to find new econtent solutions for libraries”
• 2010 Summary: Libraries are Still Screwed – very good read about ebooks and libraries including the comments.
• Library eBooks can be Frustrating!
• I am a frustrated eBook (non) user
• advocacy and econtent (i’m also a frustrated ebook user)
• eBooks and DRM: libraries advocating for what?
• A Close Shave
• There’s an App for That! Libraries and Mobile Technology: An Introduction to Public Policy Considerations (pdf)
• Libraries and ebooks: tough issues that it’s time to debate

Similar Posts:

• Will Libraries be Able to Loan the Nook and eBooks from Barnes & Noble?
• Why I Love Kindle Desktop for eBooks
• How I Got Over My Issues and Learned to Love eBooks

Sony Reader, Nook, Kindle

What a disappointment for those who wake up Christmas morning to find that Santa left an eReader in their stockings! Publisher Simon & Schuster has announced it will delay the ebook publishing of 35 titles* coming up next year. Publisher Hachette plans to implement a similar embargo for new titles.

I have to agree with the Eric Garland quote in the WSJ

“In the Internet age you don’t enjoy the same degree of control,” said Eric Garland, CEO of BigChampagne, LLC, an online media measurement company in Beverly Hills, Calif. “You can’t create artificial scarcity by withholding content in one form and making it available later.”

This is a step in the wrong direction. I understand the book publishing industry’s desire to control ebooks is based on fear of piracy and lost money.  This attempt to tighten control wont help, in fact it may drive piracy to develop sooner and spread faster. They need to take a closer look at what happened to the music industry and acknowledge they will not be able to control ebooks the way they hope. The sooner they do that the sooner they can start working with ebooks in a successful way.

On a personal note, while I do look longingly at the Nook, I’m still waiting to buy a device. I believe I should be able to load an ebook I purchase onto the device of my choosing, I don’t care where I buy it or if I check it out from the library.

By the way PC World put together their list of Why E-book Readers Make Bad Holiday Gifts before this embargo announcement.

*I couldn’t find the names of all 35 titles, but it does include “Point Omega” by Don DeLillo,  “Courage and Consequence” by Karl Rove and “House Rules” by Jodi Picoult

Recommended reading:

• Major Publishers’ e-Reader Embargo Strategy Straight From Tired, Old Play Book
• Two Major Publishers To Hold Back E-Books
• Some Publishers to Delay eBook Releases
• Are we due a wave of book piracy?
• Local Bookstores, Social Hubs, and Mutualization
• Some half-formed thoughts on one future for bookselling
• My ebooks and DRM talk from O’Reilly’s Tools of Change for Publishing from Cory Doctorow
• DRM Holding Back Ebook Growth

Similar Posts:

• Top Ten Links 2.3 – All About Ebooks
• eBook Link Round Up from Internet Librarian #il2011
• How to Talk to Your Patrons About Penguin & Other Publishers Not Loaning eBooks to Libraries

A vook blends the text of a book with video into one story.  I’m fascinated by this new this new multimedia approach to books.  I have no idea if it will be successful, I can’t really see the appeal for fiction, but for something like a fitness or other how-to books I can see having a video as an advantage for demonstration.  Think of all the how-to videos on YouTube. You get the advantages of text and video in one.

Part of my fascination is due to the great example of transliteracy this provides. It is providing information through multiple media formats. We often see text in videos or on images.  We are used to seeing videos embedded on websites and blogs. This does seem like the next logical step. But I wonder if it will really take off, maybe for a small market

I’d like to see this affect ereaders, they can display text and images, and we are all waiting for color, why not video too?

• Curling Up With Hybrid Books, Videos Included
• What is a Vook and will it change how you read?
• Books + Online Video = Vooks: Watchable, Readable, & Very Cool
• Apple Tablet Books Need to Be Better than Vooks

Similar Posts:

• The future of the book – Possible or Probable
• Ebook Readership Increases, Still Only 21%
• Wired Magazine Reviews 10 eReaders

I’m more excited about the Nook than I have been about any other ebook reader. This might be the one that finally gets me to buy one. Why?

8 Reasons You Can Finally Love Ebook Readers (Thanks to Nook) from Gizmodo

1. It’s cost-effective even with Wi-Fi, native PDF support, an SD slot and that crazy second screen makes it seem out of the Kindle’s league.
2. Lending and Sharing – 2 week loans to you can lend to tons of different devices: Mac, PC, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile (soon).
3. Free in-store reading - take the Nook to any of Barnes & Noble’s stores and read one ebook, for free, each time—the same way you might wander into the store, pick up a book and read it for an hour or two. (I do this!)
4. Head-turning looks
5. Android – two things to be excited about when it comes to Android. First is the legit apps, which B&N seems open to. Second the more illicit possibilities: The Nook both runs Android (which we already know is easily and enthusiastically modified) and has a microUSB jack, which should make for easy hacking
6. The second screen - a keyboard and Cover-Flow-esque browsing in color without the awkwardness and lethargy of e-ink, allows for multitasking. You’ll be able to read a book and control your music at the same time, and because the music browser will be on the LCD screen, it won’t look like e-inked crap.
7. Battery Life – 10-days and it’s replaceable!
8. Both 3G and Wi-Fi

From the New York Times Live Blog: Barnes & Noble Unveils E-Reader

The digital books in Barnes & Noble’s e-bookstore are available in either epub or Adobe Pdf format. Customers who want to buy books in those formats from other digital bookstores may do so and transfer them onto the Nook, but those who want to buy e-books directly from the device will be connected to Barnes & Noble’s own bookstore.

From the Wall Street Journal Live From the Nook Launch (Don’t Call It a Kindle)

Digits commenter provides useful info: Derek writes, “Just bought 2 online – Per invoice ‘Expected Ship Date: November 30, 2009′.”

I have just one question – Will they play ball with libraries?

See more:

• Watch a video demo Barnes & Noble Nook Up Close: Yep, It’s Real Nice
• Compare to the Kindle
• Barnes & Noble Compares Nook to Kindle 2: Biased But Fair
• Barnes & Noble Unveils Kindle-Killing, Dual-Screen ‘Nook’ E-Reader (Updated)
• Pre order one
• Nook is Coming: Barnes & Noble’s Kindle Killer

Similar Posts:

• Will Libraries be Able to Loan the Nook and eBooks from Barnes & Noble?
• Wired Magazine Reviews 10 eReaders
• Friends, Romans, Countrymen Lend Me Your Ebooks: Resources for Loaning & Borrowing Nook & Kindle Items

I love the idea of an ebook reader, but I have problems with Amazon’s Kindle, foremost being price and inability to load my own content on without sending it through Amazon. I’ve been playing with the Sony Reader the last week or so but I don’t love it either. Since I want to love ebook readers I’m on the look out for anything that might improve them. The Cooler is an interesting venture in the market.  It’s sleeker and well, prettier, it comes in 8 colours including ruby red, vivid violet and hot pink, you can view jpg, pdf, txt, and mp3 files right to it yourself.  Its not without its problems, only one navigation buttons and books in the cooler store are more expensive than Amazon Kindle Books, although the selection seemed good.  Overall its compares to Sony’s version than Amazon’s.

More Reviews:

• Cool-er eBook Reader Review
• Hands on: Cool-er eBook reader review
• Cool-er ebook reader: is this the iPod for books?

Similar Posts:

• Wired Magazine Reviews 10 eReaders
• Why Amazon’s Lending Library is Not a Threat to Public Libraries
• Why I Chose Kindle