PDA and Inter-library Loan
Patron-driven acquisitions programs may supplant inter-library loans for ebooks, which in turn could get more publishers to support both PDA and ILL.
Hawking Radiation: Figuring Out How Many Books Are Sold to Libraries
An odd circumstance of the book business is that no one really knows which books are sold to libraries and how important libraries are to overall book sales. At the heart of the problem is the fact that Amazon, which sells books to libraries, does not share any sales data. This post suggests a couple ways to get at that data in the face of Amazon’s obstinacy.
Rediscovering Discovery — How We Find Things, and Its Implications
A recent ALA panel on discovery prompts some musings about the direction that local search will take and the likelihood that one vendor will control access to almost all library collections.
A Dialogue on Patron-Driven Acquisitions
A dialogue on patron-driven acquisitions by a librarian (Rick Anderson) and a publishing consultant (Joe Esposito). Patron-driven acquisitons may evolve into patron-driven access. But publishers ultimately will have to bless the plans.
The Broader Context of Patron-Driven Acquisitions
A new book edited by David Swords on patron-driven acquisitions (PDA) provides a good background on the topic, but there is a broader context of PDA, which is not fully addressed.
Joe's Metadatarium: Creating New Forms of Discovery in the Bricks-and-Mortar World
The decline of bookstores has made discovery increasingly difficult. One solution is to create a new kind of bookstore, which is effectively a showroom and community center for the celebration of the book.
The Library With No Books In It
A surprising collection found at the Schroedinger Archive includes a number of works of short fiction that take scholarly communications as their subject. In it, we find a tale with many surprising reversals — “The Library With No Books In It.”
"Librarians" — An Endangered Species?
A recent analysis suggests some worrisome trends for librarianship.
Will a Renewed Re-examination of the Big Deal Itself Be a Big Deal?
As budgets make librarians look for better deals, the Big Deals fall under close scrutiny.
The Ticklish Problem of Pricing E-books for Libraries
As publications move to digital form, libraries are taking on a greater share of the total volume of publishers’ income. This inevitably leads to conflicts.
The Demand for Convenience — Attention Scarcity Reverses the Equations of Publishing
Convenience is a major driver of content usage. But what other changes are afoot that feed into this amorphous concept of “convenience”?
How Satisfied Are Librarians With Their Jobs? The Survey May Not Show
A Library Journal survey shows things are about the same. But who are they really talking to?
What Patron-Driven Acquisition (PDA) Does and Doesn't Mean: An FAQ
Patron-driven acquisition — what does it mean? This FAQ deals with how PDA approaches books, journals, and libraries.
As Book Warehouses Vanish, Is It Time for Librarians to Stop Running Libraries?
Are librarians making the same mistake railroads made — forgetting their purpose to remain tied to their physical heritage?
College & Research Libraries Adopts Open Access
After years of debate, ACRL will finally “walk the talk.” But without a business model, they could get tripped up.