News Archive for October 2010    

Middletown Public Library seeks an energetic, community-oriented individual to provide services for children & young adults. Duties include collection development, reader’s advisory, programming, and outreach. Bachelor’s degree in Elementary or Early Childhood Ed, or other degree with previous experience working with children is required. Other qualifications include: strong organizational and interpersonal skills, ability to work independently and a PA driver’s license. A background check, child abuse, and FBI clearances are required upon hire. This is a 12-15 hour part time position with some Saturday and Evening hours. Send resume to:

Borough Secretary
2nd floor Borough Bldg.
60 W. Emaus St.,
Middletown, PA 17057

Did you miss attending the E-Book Summit? You can find it here: but you will need a username and password. Ask you district consultant.

Below are notes taken and thoughts shared by many who attended the conference:

The room that viewed the E-book summit together could not determine a shared common definition for e-book. Discussion included is it just text that is digital or is it when a formerly printed format goes digital or is it something that must be read on a specific e-book device? POWERLibrary offers many “ebooks” via the NetLibrary platform, but these do not seem to be ones our customers are asking for. Our customers do not always share our definition of ebook.

We need to define e-books for our libraries and plan to create an information page to help answer patron questions. The library should have information about this format and our position on it that is easy to explain. (This project is currently underway by the regional e-content committee.)

We talked about the library’s current e-audio book platform, OverDrive, and the planned expansion of that platform to include e-books to read as well as those we listen to.

An overview of where the region is currently at in its ebook negotiations was covered with the group, knowing that nothing is certain until that group has a next meeting and a chance to develop a method of collaboration that will be effective.

eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point
Library Journal Virtual Summit: September 30, 2010
Original Research on the Growing Importance of eBooks in Library Collections
Presenter: Ian Singer is VP, Content & Business Development for Media Source, Inc., responsible for driving the growth and expansion of content licensing and identifying new product and business line extensions for MSI’s various business units, including leading its evolving digital strategy. Ian joined Media Source in April 2010, after serving since 2006 as Bowker’s VP, Data Services, where we was responsible for managing its flagship Books In Print data operations in addition to its .COM and Syndetics product lines.
Survey Highlights:
• 2/3 of public libraries have ebooks…Collection size: 1529 available on average
• Public libraries estimate circulation will increase 36% this year.
• Top barriers to usage: lack of awareness, device incompatibility
• Schools and academics primarily report desktop or laptop readers as primary ebook reader.
• Publics report portable device usage is most prominent.
• Only 7% of libraries lend loaded devices. Most are considering doing so.
• Public Libraries spend about 2.5% of collection development budget on ebooks. (Academics 7%)
• 41% of public libraries use single user license model. Academics primarily use simultaneous user model.
• Denver experimenting with ‘anything library’

Early in the Twenty-First Century, Knowledge and Content will Underlie Everything of Value
Presenter: Ray Kurzweil has been described as “the restless genius” by the Wall Street Journal and “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes. Kurzweil is one of the leading inventors of our time and has authored six books, four of which have been national best sellers. His latest book, The Singularity Is Near, was a New York Times best seller and has been the #1 book on Amazon.com in both science and philosophy.
• Did demonstration of blio.com, free ebook reader for windows based PC’s. Really impressive! They eventually intend to run on every platform.
About Blio: http://www.blio.com/
• K–NFB Reading Technology has propelled reading technology forward for the last 30 years with the invention of omnifont OCR, flatbed scanners, text-to-speech technology, and reading machines for the blind. K-NFB has now created Blio. This free application will work across platforms and presents books as they are intended: in full color, as laid out by the publisher.
• K-NFB is a privately held company dedicated to developing cutting-edge solutions that continually revolutionize access to the printed word for all readers, from a variety of mobile and fixed platforms.
• A joint venture between Kurzweil Technologies and the National Federation of the Blind, K-NFB is headed by CEO Ray Kurzweil, a thirty-year innovator and pioneer in assistive technologies. The National Federation of the Blind is the largest, most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States.
• Talked about how devices will get smaller and smaller, and perhaps people will wear them in their glasses so that the text can be adjusted to the size you want.

The Tipping Point: How eBooks Impact Libraries, Publishers & Readers
Presenter: Eli Neiburger is a lifelong gamer and the Associate Director for IT and Production at the Ann Arbor District Library, MI. His book, Gamers… in the LIBRARY?! was published in 2007; he is currently working on Did you Reboot IT?! Inside and Beyond the Library—I.T. Culture Wars. Neiburger writes a column about gaming and library futures for Digitale Bibliotheek.
• Very thought provoking!!!!! (and entertaining!)
• The value of library collections is invested in the local copy.
• If you can view it, you can save it and have it. If you can transmit it doesn’t matter where it came from
• We need to recognize that the value of the circulating collection is going to eventually become meaningless. So, what do libraries do in the face of this reality?
• We need to return to our roots: Libraries were created to protect access to the records of the community. We need to be involved in protecting and providing access to records about the community and by the community.
• We need to be a platform for unique experiences and content.
Presenter: Steve Potash is President and CEO of OverDrive, Inc., a digital media company he founded in 1986. Under his leadership, OverDrive has become a leading digital distributor for hundreds of leading publishers and content suppliers in the U.S. and abroad. OverDrive distributes over 300,000 premium eBooks, audiobooks, music, and videos to a global network of over 11,000 libraries, schools and retailers.
• Endorses XML non-proprietary format.
• Has Buy it Now feature which encourages patrons to buy content and donate to library.

What Do Libraries Want? Creating the Perfect Public Library Model
Presenter: Stacey Aldrich was appointed State Librarian of California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on November 19, 2009 after serving as Acting State Librarian from February 2009.
COSLA report: ebook feasibility study identified 2 big issues:
• Content who owns? Rent? Own? Type of content
• Access platform neutrality
Presenter: Eva Miller is a librarian, a user experience designer and an information architect. Eva conducted this design research for COSLA while working with Pinpoint Logic, a design strategy consultancy in Portland, Oregon. She is currently on her way to new challenges at WebMD. Until then, contact her at evamiller@gmail.com
COSLA research themes:
• Cooperation (economies of scale, shared collection expertise, common platform)
• Librarians need to reclaim role in selecting works from emerging authors
• Librarians need to take advantage of explosion in do-it yourself publishing. Self published work is difficult to track or find. Libraries should be a champion this type of publishing…reflect the community, help emerging authors. Often these are life experience stories, or shared expertise. This would distinguish us from other sources of popular reading materials. Create a public library press, unsung authors tour
• Libraries need to help communities engage in civic discourse and public policy. Libraries should foster serious discussions and leadership, especially around copyright and fair use laws.
• Libraries should serve as laboratories for experimenting with new technologies. If we are no longer warehouses for collections, we’ll have some space for trying new ways to engage the public in a life of the mind.

–“The top barrier to using ebooks is the lack of awareness that libraries have ebooks” – Looks as if libraries will have to aggressively market this resource.

–“Dramatic and sizeable growth in ebooks is anticipated” – We have to seriously consider how much of our collection development budget we can or want to put in ebooks.

–Content should be “platform neutral” and compatible with all sorts of devices. How do we create those platforms of access? I think this is a very important question.

–“ebooks should be able to be read anywhere or on any device; it should be as easy as accessing email.” What it should be and what it currently is are two different things!

I was somewhat intrigued by B & T’s Blio. As they described it, it is a software-based reader, not a device. The reader runs on virtually any device with an operating system, it addresses accessibility issues (for example, for the blind), and is “ideal for rendering richly-formatted material”. Blio for libraries is coming in 2011 and has Baker & Taylor connections.

Other notes:
Sell the fear, offer the hope.
Customers need the information the library has.
Who is the audience who makes time to read?
Why do people read? To be more interesting, to be informed, to solve problems, to understand the world, to be entertained.
Are there times when digital is preferred? When is print preferred?
We need to measure how many people are asking for e-books. It sounds as though a few questions each month are asked at libraries, typically with people who want items for proprietary reading devices. Is the need great enough? Is directing users to free content already available enough until the market settles?

PA Broadband Summit notes

Carrie Cleary and two staff members from CCLS attended the PA Broadband Summit.

If you’re interested, you can see handouts and presentation slides from many of the sessions right here: PA Broadband Summit presentation slides

Here are a few of the notes I took that generated questions and ideas that could be applicable to your public library:

There is a critical issue: How can we deliver public library resources and services that meet community needs most effectively? If we choose to deliver services via technology, people need access to technology (even the last mile) and desire to use and trust technology.

Libraries help to deliver improved communications through the internet: how can we harness the needs of nonprofits, civic, and community clubs to help meet our mission?

What triggers the adoption of technology? Check out the Pew studies and learn about the nation and your community: Link to Pew study.

Now that 30% of your users don’t have a landline phone, how does that change your operations?

Factors effecting broadband internet adoption:
-Education level
-Income
-Age
-Rural/non-rural (it is mostly rural people who want access and don’t always have opportunity, but PA is ahead of other states in this area)

How will you handle customers who don’t want to use technology?
Can we deny premium services (like some companies don’t accept job applications) unless patrons use a preferred (effective for us) method of contact?

22% of people simply don’t use the internet directly because they don’t see a need to. How will that change with the next generation?

If people don’t know what they don’t have, they won’t have a reason to use it. Libraries can be a big part of the push to get users online and to streamline the cost of delivering services; we can be effective partners with local government in delivering e-government services effectively.

How does your library support digital literacy?

How do YOU define broadband? What is the national plan? Broadband.gov

Does the debate on net neutrality effect the services your customers want? YES.

Fact: U.S. Broadband prices are higher than in many other countries.

IMLS is developing protocols for libraries. What they are and when they will be announced is being decided: imls.gov

Why should your library support greater broadband adoption?

*A key problem with computer use in public libraries is how to deliver sound that accompanies the videos and tools online. Does your library use headphones so users can access the sound that goes with their video while they learn and browse on public access machines?

Libraries can help to make e-government, e-learning, and information and resource delivery better and faster. With consolidation of efforts, it can be cheaper too.

Have you ever visited savetheinternet.com or read about Net Neutrality? Net neutrality article, one of many

Openness is important to success but we need to reward innovations and let the end user have quality of service choice.

What effect does net neutrality have on your users who must buy devices and subscription services to best meet their needs?

How does your organization aim to deliver content, resources, and information that work on all devices and all connections equally and let the consumer choice drive?

What is “reasonable network management”? How would you define it in a technology plan to allow your users to access the most valuable resources most effectively?

How can we write policies that will stimulate effective use of technology?

What should a framework look like?
-there is a presumption against discrimination. We won’t harm users or get in the way of private competition/innovation.
-broadband providers and services need the freedom to innovate
-customers should be able to understand your network management practices. There should be transparency as to your priorities for speed and reliability of service.

Is a case by case decision made by the FCC better than a set of standards that are difficult to enforce and may cramp innovation?

How does your technology plan address network management? What is restricted and what is advertised as uses of the productive uses of technology?
To ensure quality of service, you have to have some level of discrimination. Which services do you offer expedited or always available access to and which are less important? How can we set clear guidelines for use of limited resources? Align your priorities.

How can public libraries set “priorities” for use of limited technology resources? Does your internet policy officially meet the standards of CIPA? Did “The authority with responsibility for administration of the school or library provide reasonable public notice and hold at least one public hearing to address a proposed Technology Protection Measure and Internet Safety Policy.” from CIPA filtering requirements found here: see CIPA filtering requirements. When was it last reviewed?

What is your library’s role as a consumer protection advocate? Is there an up to date customer bill of rights for your library? Should there be a district or regional bill of rights or should it be localized?

If $1 of technology investment gives $10 of return, how can we capitalize on that?

The critical issues in broadband adoption include:
-People need to use and trust technology to meet information ad service needs, even in rural communities. This means that reliability, security, and speed are important.
-Libraries can become stronger government and community partners by assisting in helping people to take advantage of community betterment through technology services.
-Local government, state and federal government already communicate via technology. The library enable consumers to get that information through the best (cheapest/fastest) method possible.
-Libraries can partner better with schools if they are delivering services via technology.

The One Book, Every Young Child committee is excited for the opportunity to once again offer author visits to libraries across the state. Here are a few things that will help you with the application process:

• It is easier to schedule the visits if libraries work together to plan for a morning, afternoon or full day visit. We will consider worthy applications that come from Districts or Regions first.
•Please plan for a full visit. Work with community groups to include as many preschool children as possible. We hope to have as many of the visits take place in libraries but we also feel taking the author to local schools or other community sites is beneficial.
•We don’t have much flexibility with dates. We are limited by the authors availability and the best traveling schedule. If there are dates that will NOT work for your library please let us know that in your application. The Kick off is March 29. Visits will be scheduled during the month of April and probably into the first week of May. We will not schedule visit during Easter vacation.
•Let us know of any community groups that you plan to work with, how many you anticipate for attendance, how you plan to promote the visit, and any other special events you may host.
•If your application is accepted you will need to complete the Author Visit Agreement form. You will agree to submit statistics no less than 10 days after your visit.
•If you have any questions please feel free to email me.

Find application at: Author Visit application
Applications are due by October 29th. You will be notified if your library is selected to host a One Book, Every Young Child visit.

Margie Stern
Delaware County Library System
Coordinator, Youth Services
340 N. Middletown Rd.
Media, PA 19342
mstern@delcolibraries.org