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
• Penguin Pulls eBooks From Public Libraries Dropping it Down to 1 of the Big 6 Publishers Playing Nice With Libraries

In case you haven’t seen it, there is a new site organizing a boycott of HarperCollins. Conversations about this have popped up on Twitter, Facebook and in the comments of my original post about the HarperCollines Fiasco, so  I thought I’d provide a venue for discussion just about this issue.

I’m inclined to agree with Toby Greenwalt on this one

But I would argue that the picket line isn’t the place for this battle. Rather, I think we need to take this struggle to the boardroom.

I’m concerned that boycotting now may make us look hysterical or irrational, not an image we want to take to a negotiation. There may come a time when boycotting is the way to go, I’m just not sure its now.

But I want to know what you think.  Should we be boycotting? If not now, when? What should we be doing?

Read More:

• The eBook User’s Bill of Rights #hcod #ebookrights
• Publishing Industry Forces OverDrive and Other Library eBook Vendors to Take a Giant Step Back
• Terms of Service on Our Terms

More Thoughts on the Boycott:

• Boycott? Bad idea. | reverse snowglobe
• HCOD, eBook User Bill of Rights and Math | SarahGlassmeyer(dot)com
• On Boycotts and Readers’ RightsLoose Cannon Librarian |
• How to Protest HarperCollins at Your Own Comfort Level
• Will You Join the HarperCollins Boycott?
• HarperCollins Boycott Launched Over Library eBook Policy

Similar Posts:

• Publishing Industry Forces OverDrive and Other Library eBook Vendors to Take a Giant Step Back
• The eBook User’s Bill of Rights #hcod #ebookrights
• Public Library eBooks on the Amazon Kindle – We Got Screwed

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

Check out this awesome library parody of the Old Spice Commercials from The Harold B. Lee Library Multimedia Unit. I’m seriously impressed with the idea behind and the implementation of this video.

And this video from Old Spice in response to my friend Andy Woodworth and others on Twitter.

Similar Posts:

• What is Library Day in the Life and You Should Participate #libday6
• If I made a commercial for Trader Joes
• What is a Public Library?

Its the first ever National Privacy Week

The American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom has established Choose Privacy Week, May 2-8, to help libraries work with their communities around these complicated but vital issues. Privacy has long been a cornerstone of library services in America and a freedom that librarians defend every day.

Choose Privacy Week invites library users into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. The campaign gives libraries the tools they need to educate and engage users, and gives individuals the resources to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy.

Choose Privacy Week Video from 20K Films on Vimeo.

Resources:

• Choose Privacy Week Resource Guide includes school library lesson plans.
• Civic Engagement Materials: Tools for libraries to moderate community discussions on privacy.
• Promotional Materials: Purchase posters, bookmarks, buttons, and resource guide
• One-page Privacy Handout
• Word Search: Free downloadable PDF word search, focusing on “Computers and Privacy.”
• Programming Ideas
• Web Banners and Graphics
• Position Paper and Press Material

Similar Posts:

• Google’s Social Circle & Social Search May Not Violate Any Privacy Laws But It Gives Me The Creeps
• My Favorite Privacy Quotes – A Top Ten Countdown
• Do you understand Facebook’s privacy settings?

I had the honor of presenting about Libraries and Transliteracy at the Kansas Library Association today. Thank you to Beta Phi Mu for bringing me in! As promised here is my presentations and links.

• Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age. Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, 2009.
• Opportunity for All How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries, Seattle Washington: Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2010.
• LITERACY for the 21st Century An Overview & Orientation Guide To Media Literacy Education, second edition Center for Media Literacy, 2008.
• Don’t Touch That Dial! A history of media technology scares, from the printing press to Facebook.
• The Six Magic Words
• Libraries and Transliteracy Blog
• Defining Transliteracy
• Libraries and Transliteracy Slideshow
• Transliteracy.com

Similar Posts:

• Libraries and Transliteracy at Computers in Libraries #cil2010
• Introducing Transliteracy Georgia Public Library Service & Georgia Library Association
• Libraries in a Transliterate, Technology Fluent World #intlib10

A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with a colleague at work about using mobile fundraising for the library.  It is an easy way for patrons to support the library. Send a text message donate $5 or $10 whatever.  No need to go home and get the checkbook or get online and enter your credit card information.  Even better its instant, no worry that they’ll forget before they get a chance to make that donation.

Last week I came across How Text is Changing Philanthropy and it seemed like a good time to revisit the issue. Of course the best and most recent example of text fund-raising is the situation in Haiti.  The Red Cross raised over 30 million from texts alone.

Why can’t libraries use this?  Hang a sign in the library, put a message on the home page, but a link on the OPACs, its fast, its easy its simple.  It might reach a whole different demographic than our tradition fundraising methods, people who might never have donated otherwise.

Text-based fundraising is all about immediacy. You don’t need to wait until you get home and turn on the computer. Simply enter a five or six-digit code into your cell phone, along with a single word in the body of the text, such as “Haiti.” You don’t even need to plug-in your credit-card info — the donation amount is simply added to your next phone bill. It’s all so quick and convenient, you can give in the moment. There’s no chance of you forgetting to do it later. – Time

Some other institutions are already doing it, Susan G Komen Foundation and St. Jude’s among them. And one library, the Brooklyn Library has already started a campaign. (go Brooklyn!)

Read more:

• Mosio Launches Mobile Donations Initiative for Libraries
• Donating by Text - Time
• 2010 Susan G. Komen Southern Nevada Race for the Cure
• Donations for Vacaville’s Save Our Schools can now be texted
• Students stay up all night for charity
• 4-H Announces New Fundraising Program Using Social Media
• Brooklyn Surfs Giving-by-SMS Trend; Mosio Launches Mobile Donations Initiative

I’m not vouching for any of these companies but here are a few options

• Mobile Giving – mentioned in Time
• Give on the Go – mentioned in Time
• mgive
• Give by Cell
• Mobile Cause

CC image used courtesy of JonJon2k8 on flickrSimilar Posts:

• Have an Idea to Improve Access to Information in Your Community? The Knight News Challenges Wants to Fund It #knc
• The Laptops are Here!
• Geek the Library

Times are hard, we are all stressed out, the last thing we need to do is take it out on each other. Don’t worry I am not going to ask you to hold hands and sing kumbaya. I just want you to take a couple of minutes and think about how you treat others, and how others treat you.  Take some time to read this great Code of Conduct for Staff & Supervisors, every library should have one.

If you are a manager it is your responsibility to prevent workplace bullying. If you are a recipient of bullying, you are not alone, take action.  If you are a witness to workplace bullying, you can do something about it. I know many people would say right now you should just be happy if you have a job.  But bullying is never ok.  Unfortunately bullies often get away with their behavior because it doesn’t qualify as a hostile work environment. According to Create a Bully-Free Workplace from on Harvard Business Review:

A startling 37% of American workers — roughly 54 million people — have been bullied at work according to a 2007 survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute. The consequences of such bullying spreading to the targets’ families, coworkers, and organizations. Costs include reduced creativity, low morale, and increased turnover — all factors that weigh heavily on the bottom line. Among targets of bullying, 40% never told their employers and, of those who did, 62% reported that they were ignored.

Managers take note a bully free work environment affects more than the mood in the office

Workplace bullying directly impacts the bottom line by affecting productivity, wellness (with subsequent rise in employer benefit costs), attrition, attraction and retention. – HBR

The article focuses on bosses that bully and offers some suggestions for managers to help prevent hiring bosses that will be bullies.

• When hiring managers, set the bar high with regard to interpersonal skills and leadership experience.
• Help new managers feel comfortable in their high-power roles.
• Remind managers to focus on core values.
• Design jobs in such a way as to avoid heaping unrealistic expectations onto individual leaders.
• Educate yourself and your managers about the psychological consequences of power.

Unfortunately bosses are not the only bullies in the work place. This post, Bullies At Work, offers some suggestions for recipients of workplace bullies

1. Don’t take it personally.
2. Get help. Talk to someone about the bullying, even if it’s a friend, family member or co-worker.
3. Find out your organization’s policy about bullying.
4. Remember you have choices.

The New York Times offers a quiz to determine if you’ve been bullied at work.

Even if there is no bullying in your workplace take a couple of minutes to think of little things you could do to lessen stress.

More reading and resources

• On Kindness, Libraries & the Big Picture – A TTW Guest Post by Kate Sheehan
• When the Bully Sits in the Next Cubicle
• Have You Been Bullied at Work?
• Meet the Work Bully
• Create a Bully-Free Workplace
• How to Stop “Mean Girls” in the Workplace
• Backlash: Women Bullying Women at Work
• The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t
• The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job
• Is Your Boss a Bully? Take This Test.
• Bully for you: Intimidation at work
• Bullies At Work
• Work Place Bullying Institute
• Workplace Bullying In Academia: A Canadian Study
• Work Bullying Linked With Poor Sleep

Creative Commons licensed image used courtesy of HeyThereSpacemanSimilar Posts:

• Libraries looking to save money? Consider telecommuting!
• It’s not about the money
• Library Usage Will Go Up During a Recession – Management Are You Really Prepared?

My personally selected top 10 from the links I shared on Twitter from 3/5/2010 thru 3/11/2010

1.How to Overcome Idea-to-idea Syndrome via @dmlcentral – Ideas are great, but its the follow through that matters. The idea is the easy part, the dream the vision the excitement, putting it into action requires rolling up your sleeves, late nights, long hours, convincing others and more. The follow through is where most ideas fall down.

2. How to Stay Positive…when the boss isn’t – via @buffyjhamilton for the record my boss is great and more positive than I am

1. Make Your Bus Great
2. Your Positive Energy Must be Greater than All of the Negativity
3. Live it, Breathe it, Share it – Walt Whitman said we convince by our presence.
4. Invite Your Boss on Your Bus – Give your boss The Energy Bus or another book on positive leadership.
5. If Your Boss Doesn’t Change, You Can – If all else fails then you have a choice.

3. Digital Literacy Skills Essential to Closing Broadband Gap – from the The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy

The survey findings reinforce the growing body of research that finds digital literacy skills are critical to bridging the gap between those who are able to fully participate in the information age and those who live as second-class citizens in informed communities. While the cost of Internet connectivity was cited by 36% of non-adopters as the  reason for not having Internet access at home, issues related to digital literacy came in second, with 22% citing this concern. Other reasons for non-adoption included relevance of Internet content (19%), other reasons outside of these categories (11%), combination of the above (4%) and lack of availability (5%).

4. Deliver a Better Presentation by Reminding Yourself It’s Not About You [Mind Hacks] RT @MLx

There are five main components to pulling together a good presentation:

1. Choose a goal;
2. Find a storyline that will help the group reach that goal;
3. Develop a series of activities or a method of presentation that allows you to develop your storyline. Don’t let your media determine your storyline!
4. Remember that your role is to facilitate the group reaching its shared goal. This is your primary responsibility!
5. Remember that it’s not about you. All that matters is the experience of the other people in the room.

5. Print is dying. Digital is surging. Everyone is confused#ebooks via @cindi an ebooks must read

6. Are These 3 Odd but Common Obstacles Standing in the Way of Your Success?

1. drama
2. Small invisible barriers.
3. You fall back into old patterns, thoughts and behaviors.

7. U of Michigan debuts PictureIt Rare Book Reader via @GMLGeek @ericrumsey @jgreen31@archivesnext @lljohnston

PictureIt is a web-based animation program that gives users the sensation of turning the pages of digitized rare materials that would be otherwise difficult, if not impossible, to view or obtain.

8. Digital Natives? Naive! Are we embracing the ill-defined notion of “digital natives” via @Strng_Dichotomy – a good reminder that the digital divide is  not just along generational or age lines

9. eBooks in Libraries a Thorny Problem, Says Macmillan CEO

Sargent is not afraid of changing the publisher’s relationship with libraries. In fact, change may well be required.

“That is a very thorny problem”, said Sargent. In the past, getting a book from libraries has had a tremendous amount of friction. You have to go to the library, maybe the book has been checked out and you have to come back another time. If it’s a popular book, maybe it gets lent ten times, there’s a lot of wear and tear, and the library will then put in a reorder. With ebooks, you sit on your couch in your living room and go to the library website, see if the library has it, maybe you check libraries in three other states. You get the book, read it, return it and get another, all without paying a thing. “It’s like Netflix, but you don’t pay for it. How is that a good model for us?”

“If there’s a model where the publisher gets a piece of the action every time the book is borrowed, that’s an interesting model”

10. RT @vonburkhardt: Good post from @blendedlib about finding the right market for libraries: Will What Worked For Groucho Work for Libraries

CC image used courtesy of holeymoon on flickrSimilar Posts:

• Top Ten Links 2.3 – All About Ebooks
• Top Ten Links Week 16
• Top Ten Links Week 7

I have been in awe of the Digital Media Lab at Skokie Public Library since I first heard about it. The Skokie Public Library Media Lab is a space (a whole room!) where patrons can use an amazing array of software and hardware to create digital media. This is the kind of space and service all libraries should be offering patrons to support transliteracy.

Learn more about starting a digital media lap from Richard Kong

Similar Posts:

• Introducing Transliteracy Georgia Public Library Service & Georgia Library Association
• Why Transliteracy? An Introduction for Librarians – a Tech Talk with Michael Sauers
• Libraries in a Transliterate, Technology Fluent World #intlib10