Bibliotech, the digital-first public library system in Bexar county, Texas, has gotten a lot of press attention over the past few years for launching digital “branch” libraries locations such as...Continue reading
Category: Libraries
Simon & Schuster Changes Library eBook, Audiobook License Terms
Simon & Schuster has just announced that it is both lengthening the license period for ebooks licensed to libraries, and also imposing a limit on audiobook licenses. As of 1...Continue reading
Hachette Changes eBook Terms to Further Screw Over Libraries
The American Library Association is holding its annual conference later this week in Washington DC, and I know what all the librarians will be talking about. Hachette announced on Monday...Continue reading
Why College Libraries Are Going Bookless
We’ve all read the news stories about this college or that college removing books from their libraries. Stanford was one of the first to go bookless back in 2010, and many...Continue reading
Findaway Launches Wonderbook, a Hybrid Print-Digital Audiobook Player
Cleveland-based Findaway gets most of its attention on this blog for its audiobook distribution (as well as services like Chirp) but in the library market it is better known for...Continue reading
DC Public Library Wants to Add Local Self-Published Authors to Their Catalog
A couple weeks ago I shared a link to a DCist post about the DC Public Library launching a program where local indie authors can submit their books for consideration...Continue reading
OverDrive Partners With Libreka to Bring Library eBooks to German-Speaking Countries
Overdrive announced on Tuesday that it is partnering with the German digital distribution service provider Libreka to bring its ebook and digital audiobook catalog to public libraries in Germany, Austria and...Continue reading
Amazon Doesn’t Sell Nearly As Many Books To Academic Libraries As Some Would Assume
Here’s a bit of news that will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with academic libraries. Forbes reports that Amazon is still a distinctly second-tier retailer in the academic...Continue reading
The Authors Guild Calls for a “Public Lending Right”
The Authors Guild looked at the survey report on author income that they released a couple weeks ago, and they have come up with a solution that won’t actually fix...Continue reading
65 Libraries Each Loaned Over a Million Titles Last Year
Rakuten Overdrive released its end of year report yesterday. The company now supports over 43,000 libraries and schools worldwide, including 65 public library systems that each loaned over 1 million...Continue reading
Penguin Random House Dramatically Worsens License Terms for Library eBooks
PW reports that starting next month, Penguin Random House is changing its license terms for library ebooks from “insanely expensive” to “ridiculously expensive and short-lived”. As of October 1, 2018,...Continue reading
Toronto Public Library Hits Milestone with 20 Million eBooks Borrowed
The major publishers may be blocking libraries from buying ebooks, but that has only slowed adoption; it didn’t stop the Toronto Public Library from reaching a new milestone. The TPL announced...Continue reading
Forbes Deleted That Ridiculous Anti-Library Piece
On Saturday Forbes published a poorly-researched, badly-argued piece that failed to convince anyone that Amazon Books stores should replace public libraries. According to Quartz, the piece was deleted Monday morning....Continue reading
Updated: Amazon Books Should Replace Local Libraries, and Other Publisher-Serving “Solutions”
Do you know how companies sometimes like to buy editorials that support their position (I see this a lot in the WSJ), or even go so far as to fund...Continue reading
Updated: Tor Books is Now Windowing Library eBooks
Tor Books has just demonstrated that the decision makers at Macmillan are surprisingly ignorant on the basic principles of microeconomics in general. Earlier this weeks Tor Books informed libraries that...Continue reading