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  • 1.  ALA Annual CEIG Meeting

    Posted May 05, 2025 11:29 AM

    Hi everyone,

     

    We have a room for our annual meeting:

     

    June 27

    9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT

    Ebooks Interest Group Meeting

    Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 103 B C

     

    Here is an agenda.  Please note it might change, but we're getting close to a final version.

     

    9:00: Introduction, Ground Rules

     

    9:05 - 9:30:  Andrew Albanese: his new site, trends in the digital market, thoughts on advocacy going forward (keynote)

     

    9:30 - 9:45: The need for action:

    • A recent study of the market by RF Working Group:  Michael Blackwell
    • OverDrive/vendor issues:  Info from Carmi Parker (present virtually) 

     

    9:45 to 10:00:  Conversation: Where are we? Do we agree these are the issues that need to be addressed

     

    10:00-10:30: Political and other advocacy:



    • ULC and CULC: Vicky Varga, Lisa Wells, Angela Goodrich
    • Ebook Study Group: Kyle Courtney and Juliya Zuskina
    • LIbrary Futures:  Jennie Rose Halperin

     

    10:30 - 10:45: Conversation:  thoughts about how to move forward–laws? What is "reasonable"? Withholding funds from bad contracts? 

     

    10:45- 11:15: New models and publisher opportunities

    • Ownership of digital content and new license models:  Micah May
    • Adam from HarperCollins
    • Jeff from Audible

     

    11:15 - 11:30: Conversation

    • What questions do you have for the publishers?
    • What would you most like to see?

     

    11:30 to 11:45: Responses to Book Banning:

    • Books Unbanned:  Amy Mikel
    • Banned Book Club:  Micah May

     

    11:45 to Noon: Group Discussion

    • Questions presented to generate thoughts
      • What is your library most willing to try to work for change?

     

    Hope to see you there!

     

    Michael

     

     

    Michael Blackwell

    Director, St Mary's County Library

    23630 Hayden Farm Lane

    Leonardtown, MD 20650

    301-475-2151 x5013

    Cell phone:  301-904-3048

    mblackwell@stmalib.org

     

    SMCL Logo transparent

     

     

     

     

    From: Michael Blackwell via ALA Connect <Mail@ConnectedCommunity.org>
    Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2025 1:22 PM
    To: Michael Blackwell <mblackwell@stmalib.org>
    Subject: Core Ebooks IG : Words & Money: Check it out

     

    [CAUTION: EXTERNAL]

    Hi all, Andrew Albanese, longtime informed commentator on the library landscape for Publishers Weekly, with Erin Cox, has started a site... -posted to the "Core Ebooks Interest Group" community

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    Core Ebooks Interest Group

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    Words & Money: Check it out

    Apr 23, 2025 12:22 PM

    Michael Blackwell

    Hi all,

     

    Andrew Albanese, longtime informed commentator on the library landscape for Publishers Weekly, with Erin Cox, has started a site dedicated to exploring the intersection of publishing and libraries.

    Called Words & Money, the site already has a wealth of content. Readers will find detailed articles about libraries and librarians and careful analysis of recent legal battles and news.

    "Words & Money will provide essential news, analysis, opinion, as well as select reviews, and resources that will center the role of libraries in the 21st Century publishing business.

    Words & Money will update the website daily with news and analysis, publish a weekly newsletter which will feature long-form essays, and coming soon a biweekly podcast that will present news and interviews with authors and newsmakers."

    The site is well worth a look. While this list generally never promotes anything commercial, I encourage readers and libraries to consider the separate optional subscription (note-I have no commercial interest in the site and benefit in no way from it). It's a great way to keep up with developments in our field, and I wish it great success.

     

    Michael

     

     

    Michael Blackwell

    Director, St Mary's County Library

    23630 Hayden Farm Lane

    Leonardtown, MD 20650

    301-475-2151 x5013

    Cell phone:  301-904-3048

    mblackwell@stmalib.org

     

    SMCL Logo transparent

     

     

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  • 2.  RE: ALA Annual CEIG Meeting

    Posted May 16, 2025 01:24 PM
    Hey all,

    Big news! Make that HUGE news!

    I am just back from the Eastern Ebook Summit, where I had the pleasure of sitting with Connecticut librarians as their legislature passed a bill for fair library digital content terms.  They were very grateful to Maryland for leading the way and said they wouldn't be this far along otherwise.  They do point out in a statement how very much we've learned since the Maryland bill. You may see it here:  https://www.infodocket.com/2025/05/15/statement-connecticut-libraries-applaud-state-house-and-senate-passage-of-e-book-legislation-urge-governor-lamonts-signature/
    Update 3 (5/16; 11:30am) Statement From Ebook Study Group: Connecticut House Passes Landmark eBook Bill The eBook Study Group, a national coalition of legal and policy experts focused on fair digital access for libraries, applauds the 106–38 passage of long-awaited legislation by the Connecticut House of Representatives that will make eBook licenses more consistent with the library mission [...]
     Incidentally, we have a draft of a bill customized for Maryland similar to Connecticut's ready for review.  The Connecticut bill (soon, I hope to be law) has a trigger provision: it won't come into effect until another state passes something similar, so that a small state is not left out by the Big publishers.  Who's next?
     The link from ReadersFirst also on the Infodocket site has some further thoughts about what might happen.
    This is the most important development in the movement for fair library ebook terms since the Maryland law. It has national implications. Expect a lawsuit, but this one should stand up in court.  I hope that libraries of all sizes and in all states will stand with Connecticut to work towards--at long last!--print equivalent terms for library digital content.  
    Thank you, Connecticut!
    Michael Blackwell







    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: ALA Annual CEIG Meeting

    Posted May 20, 2025 08:29 AM
    Hello, Library Digital Content Aficionados,

    Carmi Parker has updated the ReadersFirst Publishers Price Watch, commenting as follows:

    As we have time, Readers First updates its Publisher Price Watch, a project where we select 20 popular books from each of the top trade publishers and compare their prices across five formats sold at retail and to libraries.
    Summary for May 2025:
    Since the first posting of Publisher Price Watch in May 2022:
    • HarperCollins library eBook prices have increased at an annualized rate of 12.9% per year
    • Macmillan library eAudio prices have increased at an annualized rate of 12.5% per year
    • The annualized rate of increase for all five publishers is 1.9% for library eBooks and 3.6% for library eAudiobooks.
    • By contrast, retail prices on print and eBooks remained flat and retail prices on eAudiobooks fell at an annualized rate of 4%.
    This update includes an analysis of a possible correlation between price increases and the decreasing number of unique authors represented in one consortium's digital book collection despite increases in its collection budget.
    If you have questions or feedback about Publishers Price Watch, please contact us.

    Thanks, Carmi, for your work on this project!

    Michael

    Michael Blackwell
    Director, St. Mary's County Library
    23630 Hayden Farm Lane
    Leonardtown, MD 20650
    Work Cell Phone:  301-904-3048



    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: ALA Annual CEIG Meeting

    Posted May 20, 2025 08:50 AM

    Thanks, Carmi and Michael, for keeping an eye on the data!  Very sad though not shocked to hear about the correlation to unique authors.

    We're digging into ebook data ourselves at the moment.  One item of note: audiobooks have finally (April) overtaken ebooks in our statewide ebook collection.  May stats show the same.

    Have fun in Philly!



    ------------------------------
    ~~
    Stephen Spohn (He/Him/His), Executive Director - Ocean State Libraries
    401.593.2160 office - 978.799.1518 mobile - sspohn@oslri.net
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: ALA Annual CEIG Meeting

    Posted May 20, 2025 08:54 AM
    Thanks for the info! I enjoyed talking with the Ocean State folks at last week's Eastern Ebook Summit Meeting.  Would you please consider sharing your data at some point? We can arrange to post it on the RF site and to share here.  I appreciate seeing use trends from all over.

    Michael



    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: ALA Annual CEIG Meeting

    Posted May 20, 2025 08:57 AM

    You're always welcome to peek at ours!  https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/ocean.state.libraries/viz/OSLeZoneDashboard_16310274022640/FY2025 



    ------------------------------
    ~~
    Stephen Spohn (He/Him/His), Executive Director - Ocean State Libraries
    401.593.2160 office - 978.799.1518 mobile - sspohn@oslri.net
    ------------------------------

    Original Message