the state of libraries, ebooks and publishing today
DESCRIPTION
Alan S. Inouye of the American Library Assocation Office for Information Technology Policy probes the history and present day status of libraries, ebooks and publishers in America.TRANSCRIPT
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Connecticut State Library Ebook SymposiumFebruary 28, 2014
Alan S. InouyeAmerican Library Association
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Agenda
• A little bit of history• Where are we today?• Challenges and opportunities• The bigger picture: (E)book lending
and the role of libraries• Question / answer time
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The Way We Were:Late 2011 to Early 2012
• In wake of HarperCollins blowback from spring 2011 – initiation of 26 circulation model
• Simon & Schuster, Macmillan out of library ebook market entirely
• Penguin pulls back from library ebook market
• Random House imposes substantial price increase
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What To Do? • Many possible avenues to pursue; lots of
advice• What are ALA strategic advantages?• What would have value in the longer run?• Need to focus energies• Conclusion: Direct engagement with
publishers– Later, expanded to publishing ecosystem– Always subject to revision
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Two Plus Years
• ALA leadership visits to NYC: – 8 multi-day trips
• Conferences: ALA, PLA, AAP, BEA, DBW• Communications– Publications– Articles, op-eds, “Open Letter to
Publishers,” media and communications toolkit, Authors for Library Ebooks campaign
– Informal
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Publisher Perspectives
• Start: Sales displacement, friction, security
• Large, complex, multinational organizations
• Libraries 101: Library marketing staff v. digital business staff and general managers–Misconceptions– Fears (library and non-library based)
• Supporting many platforms and models
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Publisher Perspectives (2)
• Value of ebook >> print book• The distributor black box• The megaplayers: Amazon, Apple,
and Google• What is the little local public library
just around the corner?
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Library Perspectives
• Start: Unfairness, hostility• Publishers are real people• Publishing 101: Didn’t know much
about publishing, and digital publishing– Exacerbated because of rapidly
evolving marketplace
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Library Perspectives (2)
• Making the business case v. library needs
• More than publishers: authors, distributors, retailers, and readers
• Libraries far from homogeneous too• More than “libraries” – state
libraries, cooperatives, …
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Big Five Current Status
• HarperCollins• Penguin Random House• Hachette Book Group• Macmillan• Simon & Schuster
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Some Issues
• Progress in 2013, but…• Pricing• Business models: Too many yet too
few• Remaining restrictions on availability– Frontlist– Pilots– Consortia
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Some Issues (2)
• Facilitating sales: How far can/should libraries go?
• Library platforms• Intermediary platforms --
transferring• Archiving / preservation• Privacy• And more
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Value Proposition of Library Ebook Lending: For Publishers
• Analog to digital: Fundamentally changes the value proposition
• Libraries represent direct sales; especially helpful for the backlist
• Ebook discovery/exposure via brick and mortar facility– Decline in physical outlets; rise of Amazon;
B&N?– Increasing possibilities of libraries as sales
outlets?• Discovery /exposure: The “growth” area?
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Libraries: Facilitating Ebook Discovery and Exposure
• Analogues from print book world still in play
• Leveraging the digital environment– Library Reads– Illinois Author Project– Orange County (FL) Shake It app– Gimme (a clue), Scottsdale (AZ) library– Digital review copies (Edelweiss, Net
Galley)
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The Evolving Library• Library as publisher– Promotes community engagement &
(digital) literacy
• Reframing: The publishing ecosystem– Implications and possibilities for libraries– And then more than ebooks…
• Brainstorming: The future of libraries–Working with Connecticut resident Roger
Levien
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Think Beyond Replicating the Book Model in the Ebook World
Reader PublisherLibrary/Bookseller
Author(& Agents)
Distributor
Reader
Publisher
Library/Bookseller
Author(& Agents)
Distributor
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Discussion - Questions
Alan S. InouyeALA Office for Information Technology PolicyWashington, D.C., [email protected]
Resources• American Libraries E-Content Blog• American Libraries Supplement on
Digital Content