ebooks/ereaders: where are we?, where are we going?
DESCRIPTION
Prepared to presented at the Arizona Library Association's Annual 2011 Conference in Tucson, Arizona in November, 2011.TRANSCRIPT
WHERE ARE WE?WHERE ARE WE GOING?
eBooks/eReaders
Ted
Restaurant example
From our AzLA President
“Within the next decade we may see the demise of print books.”
A Message from the Director-Nancy Ledeboer
“We will continue to work to ensure the right of every person to access digital content regardless of whether they can afford to
purchase an e-Reader or eBooks.”
The medium is the message
“One does not have to wade into McLuhan to see that electronic readers and associated devices, in combination with the Internet, are a new plateau in the dissemination of language and literature.” Rex Murphy, National Post (Toronto).
Richland County PL, South Carolina
New Opportunity?
Operating atop shifting sands?
An investment in hardware that is sure to be out of date in only several years is not a trivial issue for most libraries.” (eBooks and eReaders in Public and Academic Libraries).
The Digital Books are licensed and not owned and thus do not have right of first purchase.
Public Library Perspective
“If it’s fair to say that Academic Libraries already have an ocean of electronic content available, then public libraries are more akin to a desert.”
(eBooks and eReaders in Public and Academic Libraries).
The Revolution is Here
Source: Library Journal Second Annual Ebook Survey-10-12-11
Left in the Dust?
Our Mission
“This issue is important because it fundamentally impacts the primary role of the library-to connect people and information.”(eBooks and eReaders in Public and Academic Libraries)
The Have Nots
Source: Library Second Annual Ebook Survey-10-12-11
12% of American adults own e-Book readers
Death of the dedicated eReader?
Device proliferation & convergence
Source: Library Second Annual Ebook Survey-10-12-11
The Tablet Surge
Do we really want to read bedtime stories to our children using an iPad?
Seniors like touch screens
“Unlike some technologies, eReaders are not always intuitive.”
We no longer want tied down to wired plug & play. Adjustable
Font Size
Print vs.Digital
“Each format offers specific technological advantages to recommend it, but six in 10 survey respondents who commented on the subject found more to like about paper books’ durability, freedom from battery or electric power, and ease on the eyes. Only one in four had such positive things to say about e-books’ convenience or various enhancements.” Booking to the Future by Jamie E. Helgren.
Beyond the Tipping Point
Yet no matter what librarians think, it is library users who will guide the future demand for format options in books and libraries. Perhaps this demographic should be surveyed next, to try to get a clearer view of their expectations.
- Jamie E. Helgren in Booking to the Future
2010 vs. 2011-A High Rise
Source: Library Second Annual Ebook Survey-10-12-11
The Benefits of Being Flexible
Think of the possibilities!Book Clubs & One Book-One Community programs
HarperCollins Controversy
What if Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster agree to join Overdrive?
The Challenge and the Chaos of DRM
“Digital Rights Management, or what at least one advocacy group calls Digital Restrictions Management.” eBooks and eReaders in Public and Academic Libraries.
DRM
As we're all too aware, digital library content is still locked up by and large in either clunky formats or dedicated consoles. DRM doesn't frustrate most librarians because we're anti-capitalist, free-content absolutists; it gets us worked up because it's a pain in the neck for our patrons, and more often than not it stops this convergence idea dead in its tracks.Josh Hadro Library Journal
Time to enter the permanent whitewater
Get ready for twist and turns and flips. It’s going to be different and exciting.
Forward to Convergence!
A new Digital Divide?
It won’t be long now.
Books and libraries are among our most powerful symbols. But like lighthouses — once too so vital and necessary — maybe libraries now have more emblematic than genuine cultural impact.
Please do not mistake me. I love libraries, and will always. I love lighthouses too. But then came GPS, the Kobo of navigation.
Rex Murphy-National Post (Toronto)
Libraries must reinvent themselves?
“There has been much discussion
but little concrete action, It’s as if manyof us want to move forward, but are not sure even where to begin.”
eBooks and eReaders in Public and Academic Libraries)
Library Renewal.org
Greater Phoenix Digital Library staff wiki shares training materials, locally grown resources, and ideas about how to better serve our customers.
Teen or Toddler Years?
The Ultimate Goals? Clouds or Hybrids?
Unlimited access to e-books-No wait listsDownload directly from the Library Catalog into
the deviceThe Digital books are stored on a cloud, so device
memory would not be occupiedHybrid-digital rights when
a print copy is purchased
Booking into our Future
eBooking into our Future
eBooking into our Future
Into the Unknown
“If we don’t take the challenge of creating our future, it will be created for us—forcing us into a more and more marginalized niche.”-George Needham
Renewing a sense of optimism of the potential of technology and libraries.
THANK YOU!
TED
eBooks/eReaders