Comments on: Guest Column: Libraries walk fine line balancing e-book investments http://rockrivertimes.com/2012/01/18/guest-column-libraries-walk-fine-line-balancing-e-book-investments/ The Rock River Times - THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1993 Tue, 21 May 2013 21:10:32 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Andrew Strong http://rockrivertimes.com/2012/01/18/guest-column-libraries-walk-fine-line-balancing-e-book-investments/comment-page-1/#comment-4524 Andrew Strong Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:14:19 +0000 http://rockrivertimes.com/?p=35420#comment-4524 Emily, Thank you so much for your assessment of the e-book issue. Nothing is settled, and there are so many questions that need to be answered. I ran across two things of interest recently, both spearheaded by Creative Commons activist Richard Stallman: [url=http://stallman.org/articles/ebooks.pdf]The Danger of E-Books (pdf)[/url] [url=http://www.defectivebydesign.org/amazon-kindle-swindle]Amazon's Kindle Swindle[/url] Either of these links illustrates that the e-book issue is turbulent territory. --Andrew Strong former Manager of Youth Services at RPL (1996-2004) Emily,

Thank you so much for your assessment of the e-book issue. Nothing is settled, and there are so many questions that need to be answered.

I ran across two things of interest recently, both spearheaded by Creative Commons activist Richard Stallman:

[url=http://stallman.org/articles/ebooks.pdf]The Danger of E-Books (pdf)[/url]
[url=http://www.defectivebydesign.org/amazon-kindle-swindle]Amazon’s Kindle Swindle[/url]

Either of these links illustrates that the e-book issue is turbulent territory.

–Andrew Strong
former Manager of Youth Services at RPL
(1996-2004)

]]> By: Dale Copps http://rockrivertimes.com/2012/01/18/guest-column-libraries-walk-fine-line-balancing-e-book-investments/comment-page-1/#comment-4452 Dale Copps Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:54:57 +0000 http://rockrivertimes.com/?p=35420#comment-4452 The eReading phenomenon is no bubble and most librarians understand that they are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to serving their patrons with what they are increasingly demanding. Content, cost, and distribution challenges must be resolved. I believe the first sales doctrine will be extended to eBooks well before another ten years goes by. I certainly hope it is. A book is a book, and our society has already deemed it necessary and good that owners of books be allowed to treat them in any way they like--aside from copying them. Meanwhile, Amazon is on its way to producing an eBook lending model that does make sense, at a reasonable cost. How far they go in developing their Lending Library will determine whether our public library network will even remain a viable service. The End of Libraries http://alltogethernow.org/showtag.php?currid=85 The eReading phenomenon is no bubble and most librarians understand that they are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to serving their patrons with what they are increasingly demanding. Content, cost, and distribution challenges must be resolved.

I believe the first sales doctrine will be extended to eBooks well before another ten years goes by. I certainly hope it is. A book is a book, and our society has already deemed it necessary and good that owners of books be allowed to treat them in any way they like–aside from copying them.

Meanwhile, Amazon is on its way to producing an eBook lending model that does make sense, at a reasonable cost. How far they go in developing their Lending Library will determine whether our public library network will even remain a viable service.

The End of Libraries
http://alltogethernow.org/showtag.php?currid=85

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