Collection Reflection

Fascinating list comparing the top sellers in ebook and in print from Amazon . This raises all sorts of interesting questions for libraries and reinforces what I said at the LJ ebook summit in October: your digital collection doesn't have to be a mirror of the print collection. Great discussion about copyright . Very accessible discussion, and Patry's response to the comments are equally good. From the Telegraph: Charles Dicken: Good on paper, great on screen !  Just one of a multitude of preview 2012 lists . NPR's bestseller list for week of December 29, 2011 . USA Today says George R.R. Martin is THE author of the year . (+1 for the obligatory Sean Bean pic) "Swords and Sandal" novel . Enough, already, with the cute names for genre fiction.  The Annooyed Librarian (no, not me!) comes across with some 2012 predictions . Agree? Disagree? The comments are good too. Amazon's lending library currently has more than 66k ebooks . Still, the idea of...

So, while you were hanging stockings by the chimney with care, you may have missed the article in the New York Times setting out the "debate" between libraries and publishers regarding ebooks. We learned that  inconvenience and "friction" for patrons are good things, and if a library's borrowing circumstances don't create one of these things, they must be punished. The article made it seem as if libraries have given up nothing in the quest to provide access to digital books, and that the publishing companies are the ones suffering under the heavy burden of selling their goods. After all, how is a company supposed to survive if they sell a book to a library at double (if not more) the cost of consumer price? Sometimes, that price is double (if not more) of the hardcover price. Publishers who allow libraries to purchase their books give up the sale of more books later. Right? I mean, isn't that what they're arguing? "'Selling one copy that ...

Simon & Schuster releases (sorta) expected ebook revenue for 2011 .  Are Tablets and E-readers responsible for a rebirth of reading?   (Had reading died?) The Guardian judges the Best Legal Reads of 2011 .  Academic librarians get small pay bump in 2010-2011 (go librarians!) Portland book lovers nurture neighborhood camaraderie with mini libraries   (I'm gonna need a bigger birdhouse....but so cute!) Talking about Espresso Book Machines “Ultimately, we’re looking to change the way readers think of bookstores and libraries — that they have two sorts of inventory, one group of titles on the shelves, and a vast ‘virtual inventory’ available via the EBM and printable in five minutes,” said Turner."  Hmmmmm.  What do you think? Tor/Forge published 30 (!) NYT Bestsellers in 2011.   (way to go!)  Omnivoracious lists some books you may have overlooked in 2011 .  Happy Thursday!

I've been weeding the fiction paperbacks in my collection. Part of this includes looking for missing items so that I can get a better picture of what is actually on the shelf and what might need to be replaced. Yesterday, I generated a list of missing books for the Science Fiction and Fantasy paperbacks (a collection with 1,000 items). There were 131 books on my list, which included Claims Returned items as well as those In Transit--you'd be surprised how many items have been in transit for years, at which point they're effectively gone from the collection--as well as In Process and Missing items. I found 30 of the missing books on the shelf where they were supposed to be, which was a relief because it means that I don't have to worry about reordering any of them, but also a cause for concern because there aren't that many books in the SF/F collection, and somehow the people pulling holds aren't finding them on the shelf. That left 101 books still missing. M...

Ebrary's report of offline & mobile access to ebooks is now available for viewing without registration.  NPR lists the top 5 YA books of 2011 .  I haven't read any, but they all look amazing.  The Telegraph invokes my favorite subject heading to talk Christmas "cookery" books .  The Telegraph also dissects the 2011 literary year .   The Bull Spec blog starts its round up of audio SF/F for 2011 .  Happy Monday!

A while ago, I started a project to relieve some of the pressure on the mass market paperback shelves by identifying potential candidates for weeding. I found some surprising results, primarily having to do with what books were actually on the shelves. Here is a description of my work with the Fiction paperbacks--those items not classified Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Urban Fiction, Mystery, Horror, Nonfiction, or Western. This catch-all section includes thrillers, literary fiction, classics, Men's Adventure, "chick lit," books featuring African-American characters that aren't cataloged in either the Romance or Urban Fiction sections, and so on. Some of the big names are Dan Brown, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Fern Michaels, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, and Danielle Steel. Almost all of the Tall Premium editions that we own can be found there, making my life difficult. I ran a report on the entire paperback collection to generate the statistics I would need (s...

Philip Pullman thinks you shouldn't close libraries . We agree. How long (or how much) does it take for you to judge a book ? I usually use a 10% test. If I can't get into it after reading 10%, I give up.  Great interview with Amy Tan about her first digital offering Rules for Virgins , which you can find over here at Byliner .  The LA Times talks Stephen King on TV . Who doesn't love a good flow chart? The one that started it all, The SF/Fantasy book finder flowchart. (Linked to the interactive version, but find the original here .) How about a horror or gothic novel ? Happy Monday!

Ebooks On Fire: Controversies Surrounding Ebooks and Libraries : "Ubiquitous web and print ads tell individuals and libraries to “buy” ebooks. But long-term preservation and retention rights to stable content are not the norm, because many resellers and vendors don’t possess those rights from the publisher or author. Instead of true ownership, most ebook “purchases” are more like leases, and leases with few residual rights at that." Over at Letters to a Young Librarian, a discussion of popular reading materials in the academic collection . A Q&A with Holly Hibner (of Awful Library Books fame) about weeding and managing library collections . You Can Judge a Book By Its Cover: How Designers are Helping to Keep the Old Format Alive Amazon just created a $6 million fund to support Kindle Direct Publishing . ETA: Investigating ebook publishers for price-fixing: US edition !

Amazon tax deals exempting them from collecting state taxes may be illegal .  Holiday themed books : not just for kids! Upheaval at the NYPL   Best Coffee Table books (or picture books for adults!) of the season. 22 Gift books for ardent readers.   Publishers warm to ebooks -- on their own terms. Zoo City, Boneshaker , Unholy Night , and How to live safely in a science fictional universe to be adapted into movies. ETA: Publishers "fancying up" paper books to compete with ebooks. Happy Monday!

Recent articles of interest: Baker & Taylor acquires CollectionHQ Circulation: Measure of Library Performance or Just Another Number? Mary Kelly calls for "a comprehensive discussion of library performance standards and some metrics to match!" OverDrive recently introduced a "Test Drive" program , which supposedly helps libraries lend ereaders in a publisher-friendly way.  We recently had a Twitter discussion about the difficulty of categorizing the new book Mrs. Nixon . This article talks about Mrs. Nixon  and others in the context of genrefusion .  A non-librarian compares borrowing library ebooks to buying Kindle books at Inside Higher Ed. Literary Seductions  (Will ebooks change how we choose who to date?) In case you need a laugh and missed it yesterday.