No Shelf Required: a blog about eBooks in libraries

Though the No Shelf Required blog is an academic library blog, there are discussions and news valuable to all library types.

In a nutshell:

No Shelf Required is a blog about eBooks, loosely defined to discuss eBooks, audio books, and other digital content found in libraries as well as the technology needed to read and listen to this digital content. Electronic reference interfaces are another popular topic of conversation. The blog is designed to inform librarians and publishers of the happenings in the industry, from a variety of perspectives, and give them an opportunity to discuss eBook issues. All are encouraged to participate in the discussion through commenting and posting via the moderator, Sue Polanka from Wright State University Libraries. The discussion will focus on the issues, concepts, current and future practices of Ebook publishing including: finding, selecting, licensing, policies, business models, use (tracking), best practices, ebook readers, and promotion/marketing.

Recent topics include weeding eBook collections, and Overdrive for the iPhone.

Los Angeles Times: Libraries reinvent themselves as they struggle to remain relevant in the digital age

David Sarno of the Los Angeles Times examines libraries and new technologies and how they will affect readers and libraries in this article.

I found this interesting since our library will be offering Overdrive next month:

A few companies, like OverDrive Inc., offer a service that allows libraries to buy digital copies of some books. Once users download the digital copy to a PC, they have three weeks until the book deletes itself, at which point another patron can download it.

But OverDrive has a limited selection, and because e-books are often wrapped in proprietary software to prevent copying, the company's books can be read on some electronic readers but not others.

We're getting a very positive reaction to this upcoming service. There seems to be a sudden rise in e-book Reader owners. People are looking for advice on Readers, and they want ones that are compatible with Overdrive. (Thus far the Sony Reader and Nook.)

Anytime our customers are excited about books in whatever form they may take, I think we're doing what libraries should do--getting the works of authors into the hands of readers.