Friday, March 16, 2012

PLA 2012: The State of Ebooks in Public Libraries and Publishing

Katie Dunneback LOC
Jessica Moyer, University of Wisconsin
Publishers are doing bad things.  Overdrive marks up their prices quite a bit.  Ebsco has a new ebook service, fair pricing scheme, they bought out NetLibrary.

Have purchasing habits of ebooks changed in last 6 months?
We buy more, I think.  Harper Collins still sells to libraries.  3M is hopeful.  People feel stuck in Overdrive due to the purchased content.  ILS and ebook companies blame each other for lack of compatibility.  We feel like they may trick us into thinking we can keep content and then switch to not offering that to new libraries after we see them be nice to a few to attract us.  We're leery to buy much because it's so cumbersome, slow, and changing so much.  More ebooks than audio.  Circulating readers.  Should we get video?  Reference titles bought outside of Overdrive.  Low-comfort titles, such as GLBT, erotica, etc.  Hard to move money around sometimes.  Getting same materials, but in eformats.  Suggestions via email vs. Overdrive's "want it now" button, libraries get percentage of the sale.  No one will sell us the products we want.  Ingram's just starting.  3M's fully integrated, very viable.

What do We Imagine Would Be the Perfect Model for ebooks?
Instant access to everyone.  Publishers won't sell.  The Digital Content and Libraries Working Group from ALA is hopeful.  As is Library Renewal.  Overdrive's "buy it now" links to a list.  Remove all the friction, that publishers want it to be difficult.  Freading takes .50 to $2 per title.  But no big 6.  No selection necessary.  Stocking and circulating readers.  300 nooks/kindles by genre lent out to patrons.  Very gray copyright area.  B & T has a popular lease program.  Could be like that, with some selection.  Hoopla is Midwest's AV streaming, soon to be downloading just for music, audiobooks, movies.  Or pay the database subscription rate yearly.  Universal file format vs. the Wild West, which it is now.  More ease of use.  Less phone reference on this stupid problem. 

Contract law, not copyright law, applies to ebooks, intangible items.  Why things are so crazy.  Librarians understand this better than the layman.  As a country, we may be too diverse to legislate this on a large scale initially (this is why education recently got worse), though ALA could help getting copyright reform to favor libraries.  The publishers shouldn't be sued, the multimedia CEO's need to be attacked.  The Dept of Justice lawsuit is scaring publishers.  But it may not have a lasting impact.

We can all advocate to publishers directly: "thanks for the show, I really like your books, I want to buy them for my patrons.  How."

PLA 2012 Backstage Pass to Concerts at Your Library!

Kelly Bennett, Derndale, MD
Kevin King, Kalamazoo, MI
Wesley Stace (aka John Wesley Harding)


Kelly Bennett, Derndale, MD / Kevin King, Kalamazoo, MI
KPL: big budget   ....   FPL: tiny budget

Why Concerts?
PLA 18 service areas, community chose 5, one was reading, viewing, listening for pleasure.  Hard to connect with 20's & 30's without kids.  Tap local musicians, friends come to see them, get cards, connect to services.  Get into local scene, pick up CD's, get acts to test out work in front of sober, nice test audience.  Can also bring children.  Elderly people also come, sit in back, enjoy, huge fans. Exposing young people to quality, local music, may become musicians.  Raises "cool" factor.  Monthly show attracts huge crowd of regulars in "listening room" environment.  Afterhours shows can be louder, but daytime can bring a nice, mellow vibe.  Hipsters/musicians enjoy unique venue.

Where/What
Cram people in.  70 at FPL, 170 at FPL.  Variety, make it fun.  FPL does rock, KPL does something more mellow. FPL does small acts.  KPL has hosted Justin Townes Earle, but mostly locals.

Musicians vs. Authors
Author visits highlight books and concerts to highlight.  It may have to use a booking agency, make an offer.  Look for what's already playing, if they want to stop over.  Be in the music scene, talk to people, personal connection gets acts.  Eventually, they start coming to you.  Be consistent: 3rd Weds of every month, First Stop Friday, etc.  Providing another venue, when others are disappearing will get not only locals, but local musicians talking: "have you played the library yet?  They treat you very well."

National vs. Local
National: potential for larger audience, more attention for library, higher costs, booking agents, contracts and riders.  "Routing gigs" have hotel costs, 1/3 or 1/10 of what a musician would normally get.  Riders can be strange just to make sure people read them.  Most are sound needs, fresh towels, water.  Some can be urban legendary.  Agents need to talk to someone who knows what he or she is doing, agents "like to talk dirty" and don't like to "pussyfoot" (JWH's words).  Give them a reason to do it.
Local: connection to scene, hipster cred, providing musicians a venue, not always professional (best to set ground rules before hand: "no drinking on grounds."

Promotion
Press release (early!), concert poster, social media, area calendars, what can I get the musicians to do?, music blog, word of mouth.

Pre-concert Prep
PA ($200) & Sound Engineer ($175), staff (1 person + volunteer(s)), room size, library open or closed?, set load in and sound check times (coordinate with sound person to be set up first), room set-up & lighting, merch table, "Green Room" (AV closet), refreshments, recording the concert, security (good to have available).

Concert Day!
Before/During: Load-in/soundcheck/set up gear, parking, food & drink, room set-up/chairs, volunteers, introductions, social media during concert (Tweet/FB at soundcheck to promote, also during show)
After: Sell merch, clean up/assist break down, performer feedback, post-publicity (website--Youtube channel).

Costs
$3-500 or $100 per person + travel, publicity, PA & Sound Engineer, refreshments, giveaways.  Or free (+ travel, publicity, PA & Sound Engineer, refreshments) for acts trying out new stuff, if you're FPL.

John Wesley Harding
His websiteNPR will be hosting a music/book combination.  Was offered to do a gig one night and a reading the next day.  Makes it much more attractive sans the money.  Then he performed a song called "I Cant Make Love to Bob Dylan."  A lot like Robyn Hitchcock.  "I can't get it on with Blonde Upon Blonde," best line.

PLA 2012 Social Networking, Gaming, and Summerreading.org

Vikki Terrile, Queens NY
Andrea Vaughn, Brooklyn, NY
Andrew Wilson, NYPL

Andrew Wilson, NYPL
Will be available very soon as an open-source Drupal code, before 2012, Flightpath did many of the updates, and can develop it. 

 Started in 2005 w/grant from the Wallace Foundation, for kids, teens, and adults.  2010, revamped, put in Drupal platform in-house at NYPL.  Log items, write reviews to get badges.  Avatars, badges, Google map of branches.  Avatar was so real name never showed on screen, auto-generated a three word phrase: “fantastic blue fox,” ex. all to protect identity.   Avatar creator was very popular.

Front/User End
Automatic Book Logging – from collection to ILS.  So they didn’t have to type each item, could choose to display it in profile or not.   All from circ scanning a barcode into the website.  If something was misspelled or simply not held, it could still be entered into the website.

First question on log-in was how much was read since last log-in.  Second was finding what you’re looking for, linked to Worldcat, which would link it to branch of choice.  Third was entering badge code, “read25” was reading to others.  Administrators could give them out too.  “Trigger” badges automatically gave badges...first book, fifth book, review (if liked, bonus), if you liked a review, etc.  Librarians could create badges if they thought of something new.   Safety warning with each review box.  Filtered reviews for inappropriate material with keywords.  Also, patron could report something they didn’t like.  Every one had to be approved, though.

Read Down Your Fines – Reading goals/hours would lead to a badge and a clearance of fines.

Certificate Maker – It pulled up number of books, hours, badges, time reading, etc.  Great to show teacher at end of summer.

Large Avatar – Print and hang up on the wall.  Bookmarks had avatars.  Inspired curiosity and promotion.

Back End
Registrants, books logged, media logged, badges won, hours spent reading.  And could be configured to show just a branch or full system.

Drupal form for badge creation would make badge available for everyone.  A new one was a book log, picture books read at story time.  All 10 ISBN’s were attached to “Picturebook25” and every registered kid would get those books logged just for being at the storytime.  Around 100 badges.

Summary List – Birth-5, 6-12, 12-17, then adults were the age groups.   Shows ages, reviews, can link to them, like them if no one’s doing that.  Etc.  Can also see popular titles.  Also, statistical breakdowns – showed what kind of info was in there and what was being inputted, helped to show what may need a promotional push.

Messaging Feature – Branch could send messages to all users.  Great to publicize programs.  Only appropriate to branch, age range (?).  Also system messages.  Expired when no longer relevant.

Different permission levels – admins could do more than branch staff. 

At schools – passed out papers with pertinent information asked for.  Gave them log in based on part of last and first name.  They were signed up, would log in to create and change profile, etc.

Vikki Terrile, Queens NY
3 separate library systems, 1 giant school system.  They work related.  But not totally together.  Very confusing for patrons.  Collaborating on SRP helped to make appropriate for unique patrons (160 languages spoken here!)

Outreach: schools, preschools/daycare, street fiars, clinics/hospital waiting rooms, family shelters, the beach (gave away beach towels.  Table outside subway, sign them up on the street.

In-library: SRP registration = advocacy (coincides with time of year, when fighting budget cuts, tell users that the numbers show community support), piggyback programs on summer meals, grant funded MLS-level interns, traditional summer reading club meetings.

Andrea Vaughn, Brooklyn, NY
2.5 mil residents, 60 million residents.  Celebration of reading, prize drawings, not based on amount read.

Print board -- stickers put on gameboard.  Flat Panda  -- another badge for making this fun craft, and taking it on subway, to Maine, etc.

Sign-up form -- First Name, last name, birthday, age category.  Use name and birthday to create unique username.  Spanish on reverse.  Print on demand in 7 other languages.

Cooperations -- RIF, Yankees, Favorite Libraries. Badges and outreach in one.

Outreach -- Powerpoint created so community leaders could show it to their groups.  Demo'd to school librarians, sent info to schools to be included in digital info, email blasts to parents, etc.

Adds terrifically to what's already there, doesn't replace traditional SRP.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

PLA 2012 Plan Once, Deliver Nineteen Times: A Centralized Programming Model

Daisy Porter, San Jose PL

Diverse, Large Population
10th biggest in the US, 19 locations.  Educational Priorities from United Way: Finance, Parenting, Culture, Literacy, Health, Community.  Each location decided which to do.   2604 programs each quarter, 40% done once.  18 hrs/month planning, 8 hrs marketing, 13 hours/month programming…3 hrs/month planning, 2 hrs doing outreach.  44 hrs/month for FT librarian doing programming and outreach.

Plan Once Deliver 19 Times
6 people in programming unit.  Called UPS for some reason.  Wanted generalists to do all ages & types.  40% of programs are “in a box” actual or virtual.  Passport to the United Libraries of America was a craft box that was sent to each branch.  Box helps people who know nothing about crafts to do this fun, easy program.  Teen notebook design.  Virtual – Teen Talent Show…script for MC, marketing, sign-up sheets, etc.  Each branch had own show.  Grand winner at Main.  22% of programs are delivered by volunteer experts.  9% are delivered by community partners  (orgs).  5% were delivered by UPS staff. 3% by paid for by performers.  These are paid for by Friends.  Branches still deliver 21% of their programs, ramping that down this year.
Try it once, turn it into a program in a box next.
Now has moved to reference unit.  19 more librarians, more clerical staff.  UPS staff can also cover the reference desk.  
Librarians choose the books, tape how to do fingerplays, order puppets, and so forth.  Only put books in the boxes that are already circulating.

How to Get Them Around
Use routing crates.  They use 40, so each branch could have 2—in case routing fails.  Which cost $50.  Worth not damaging equipment.  They travel with regular delivery.

In a Box
15-20 books, all storytimes have same theme for week.  Enough to not repeat books.  CD of popular storytime music.  Flannel board pieces, stickers.  Rubber ducks (for bath time).  Biggest problem, pieces got lost.  Now they're sent back to main for checking first.

Letting Branches Choose
Menu created of what's available, they can choose what they want.  Titles, categories.  An additional document outlines what each entails.  Now they're merged.  Terrific looking doc: prog title, stay & play? Room,Beginning Date, Repeats, Start time are the columns.  Planning for 2 months allows performer to visit every branch over that period.

Buy In
Meeting (PDAT...) allowed managers to bring concerns, ideas, etc.  Also, feedback survey forms (Zoomerang) include staff feedback, including feedback on the boxes and every element, like "The Walter Puppet didn't work.  No one sang "Man or Muppet."

Promotion
Flatscreen by checkout promotes new programs.  Twitter and Facebook promote all programs.  Blog has staff writing about programs.

Brooke Ballard, Teen Librarian San Antonio Public Library
Has used programs in a box for teens.  Teens want to talk about what they want and will come to your programs more if they help create them.  2 weeks of programs in each box.  Movie night has all info.  5 boxes so far.  Part timers use them because they don't have time to put into developing programs.

PLA 2012: Read/Watch/Discuss: Book and Film Programs in the Library

A presentation Kaite Stover from Kansas City Public Library and myself.  192 attendees, 80 discussion.  We ran over time and 15 people stuck around to wait in line with questions.  So it must have gone better than I thought!  Bonus, a tweet about me: " Alan Jacobson from oak park public library gave some great tips on how he gets people to leave the room after a film discussion. #pla12"


Special thanks to Kaite for thinking of me for this.  It was really nice to share what I do...and to watch a seasoned pro do the same.  
Lots of notes, including the PowerPoint can be found here.  Anyone interested in getting more info, please leave a comment or be in touch: libraralan at gmail dot com.

PLA 2012 Starting a Foreign Language Book Discussion Group in Your Library

Starting a Foreign Language Book Discussion Group in Your Library
Wendy Pender, KCLS
Jose Garcia, KCLS

Chinese Book Discussion
Genesis
Huge Chinese storytime, 70 kids. What can we do to outreach to this community for adults?

Facilitator
You won’t have complete control.  Different culture, way of talking to each other.  Cultivate partnerships.
A page led the discussions.  She had formerly taught psychology in China.  She had to be approached, email was best so they could get it interpreted.  She trained in with other groups.  She’s now created a community with the book discussion folks.
You may get a spouse.  Be very open.  You don’t know what you don’t know.  Ask around, “where else would you suggest.”  She would have friends “translate.”
No politics.  No religion.

Selection
Chinese books for Chinese readers.  Scholarly books might be our tack, better to select things people actually want to read.  Make friends with whoever’s buying materials.  This will help you to get things from outside of the normal channels.  Have to work within the confines of the system.  Elicit selector’s help.  Hard to add books to the system, need someone who knows the language, can be slow.  Vendors can help to get things across to you.  Get business cards from vendors to share with selection officer.  Also, patrons can help with finding & selecting materials that make more sense to the program.

Funding
The foundation center.org is a terrific resource.  Grants. 

Success/I’m Here for a Better Life
15 people per discussion.  Every book goes.  Self-perpetuating, very little work for coordinator to do.  In mainland China, it’s illegal to convene, discuss ideas.  Calling it a “reading group” was an important distinction because no one would be there to “report” on disagreements.  They were super appreciative.  Testimonials are helpful, if they won’t come and talk, you can speak for them.


Mexican American Book Discussion
1-2% leisure reading in Mexico.   Carries over to here.
Huge populations who see the library as after-school daycare, nothing useful to them otherwise.

Starting
Surveys became scrap paper.  Made community contacts – schools, churches, merchants.  Took a year or so.  Email word of mouth worked to individuals and organizations.  Professionals and moms responded.

Grant
Got an ALA grant for classic titles, Isabel Allende type of stuff.  Can get letters of support and put quotes from them and comment cards into grant applications.

Discussion
5-6 people, met in library, had them write down questions on paper, threw it in a hat.  In time, people wanted to learn about the immigrant experience and politics.  Jorge Ramos was a big hit as a Univision anchor who ‘s written about this.  Very big discussion.

Materials
Audiobooks help.  Also, oral stories can be a terrific conversation.  Less intimidating, can form community, be introduced to library resources.   There is no central place for Spanish language best sellers.  Also, solicit ideas from patrons…get to what they want to read – conversation groups can be a good forum.

Circulation
Was able to bring the books out, put them on display so they can actually circulate.  Increased demand which lifted numbers for the group as well.

Slowly…
Eventually was able to see the numbers rise in all aspects of usership.  Circulation numbers on the collection were quantifiable proof.

PLA 2012 Getting eContent to your Customers: Challenges, Best Practices, and Solutions

Alan Inouye
Digital Content and Ebooks, Happenings and Thoughts beyond the Library Walls

Recent Phenomenon – The Internet is only 20 years old.  Mass adoption of eBooks is only in the last few years.

Collections – We used to have total control, now we share control.  We no longer choose all the eBooks.  We can’t always access it.  We can’t archive it.  Privacy, the borrowing records and what they’re reading is under someone’s control.

We have to collaborate, be flexible, understand that we’ll be in a totally different place in 5 years.

Revisit Your Mission – Should drive lending practices, we have skills, expertise, reputational capital, thousands of outlets.  Work to our strengths to serve communities.

Digital Content in Libraries Initiative – To create systematic process for digital content…

Direct Communication with Publishers.  Met with 5 publishers.  Delegation is meeting with different intermediaries.  Communication will dirve to mutually agreeable solution.

Tom Peters
Revolution! More than getting just the big 6 publishers to sell/lease their stuff to us.

Multiple Concurrent Revolutions
7 billion people, 6 billion cell phones.  90% of us.
eContent focuses on experiences rather than products.  Why bookselling is dying.
Reading -- will it ever become collaborative.  Will authors change what they do?

Settle Old Scores
Many publishers never liked the library lending model.  Many tech companies don't care about us.

Libraries Over-purchased Print
Inneficiencies, flaws, in print distribution system, no cooperative collection development.

Basic Affordance of eContent
It has the pure potential to become an absolutely non-rivalrous public good.  Unlimited perfect copies to evryone anytime anywhere where 1 person's use doesn't preclude another's.  But when.

eReader is a Complete Thing
Content, reading device, place etc.

Stakeholders
Authors & Readers, says Amazon.  There must be an intermediary.

Goodbye, Big 6 Hello Big 3 (Maybe 4)
Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Google Books.
Can they thrive by selling exclusively to end users with few sales to libraris and other instutions.  How will this affect distribution?

Where Should Libraries Focus?
Get rid of that hold list!

Best Bets for Libraries
Protest/boycott.  Talk with publishers, etailers.  Sue?  Legislate may be the answer, since libraries are important for a democratic society.

Developments
CALIFA is doing an owned-in-perpetuity eBook service, like Douglas County.
US Dept of Justice Threatened Lawsuit vs the big 5/6 and Apple.

Lisa Hickman, Dzanc Books

Challengers:
eBook Acquisition, hosting, and delivery.  3 nightmares.

Ownership
Buying eBooks -- circ control, ability to move to different platforms, integrate to catalog, preserve them, cost effective, positive user experience.
Leasing eBooks -- More expensive.  Ease of integration when someone else receives, catalogs, and delivers eBook.  Contract expiration means books may disappear.

Distribution
OverDrive, 3M Cloud, Freading, My Library.  Patron checkout from anywhere, eBooks, removed automatically.  Lease only.

Problems
Personal information demanded, frequent website crashes, long waits, expensive for libraries, circulation & cost not regulated.

eBooks in 2011
35 million checked out, 17 million holds, eBook sales exceeded books, 17% increase in sales.
2009 2%, 2010 5%, 2011-2012 29% increase in ownership.  
eBook circulation is increasing while print is declining (17% in Douglas County)

Publishers & Libraries want to get books to the reader.  Libraries help sell books (10,000 people clicked on "buy now" link that Douglas County is trying out)  50% of users go onto purchase books by author they were introduced to in the library (LJ)

Publishers Can Be Distributors
Everyone is in crisis.  We need to get together and work this out.
Dzanc distributes directly to library.  Own content, integrate titles, contracts based on need, all devices, cost effective.  Works out well for publisher with "buy now" and they automatically increase copies in holds.

Michael Porter, Library Renewal 
Complicated Questions!

Communities need libraries, we need technology.  The majority of consumption will be electronic in the coming decades.  How can we provide and provide a place to create content.  We could be on the verge of renaissance.  

We need new solutions that are practical and it has to come soon.  We want to help.  We just need to know what to do.  Apply what we already do to a new milieu.  We could help create a new infrastructure, and be in control of it.  Has to tie into mission, honor budget.  

We need transparency, control, effective leadership...all leading to an elegant, intuitive, low maintenance interface for acquisitions, access, and distribution...pricing and licensing fairness that is clear and flexible.  We need something as good as Amazon & Netflix.  Urgently.

Get in touch with Library Renewal to lead, control, and implement a solution for this.  Lots of volunteers, board, outside experts (legal, tech, business, etc.)  Market analysis for fair pricing.  Etc!  Library eContent Alliance.

Q&A
Can Libraries Get directly to authors?  Maybe so, research shows that authors want to work with libraries and would actually get more money/book this way.  Publishers are agents of discovery and insist on DRM, which we could cohesively approach from an educational platform.  Some providers are becoming publishers, like Amazon.
Where are the Reviews?  Dzanc has reviews for each title.  But this is a problem.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film!

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore won this award.   And it's terrific.  One of the Youtube commenter put it well: "We all start out writing our life's story, Then all at once some event comes along that shake things up, For a time, we mourn the loss of what we had, But then we rediscover ourselves, We find our true place in the world, And finally we begin to write a story that we are most proud of, We share our lives, And enrich the lives of those around us, Until finally, we've come full circle, And we make a confident exit, Leaving behind a legacy of our own."  All about helping people appreciate reading, books, and life.  My favorite scene, where he floats away on the string of books. I guess the company that made this is based out of Texas.  Here's a nice piece on them.