At Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library (TSCPL), we’ve just started a new grassroots campaign focused on ebooks, targeted at libraries, readers and communities around the country.
I thought you’d appreciate hearing about it and knowing that you are welcome to use the information on the site, including the video, to provide information to your library staff and your customers and community. Note that we wrote and shot the video without library name or identifiers. If you’re so inclined, you’re welcome to put it on your library’s website.
A little background…….several of us on the TSCPL staff have been working on ebook issues affecting public libraries for a couple of years. As you know, it’s been a challenge to explain to our colleagues, our boards of trustees and thousands of local library customers why libraries can’t provide the same kind of access to ebooks that Amazon does. There’s a lot of passion about and interest in this issue and concern about what the long-term impact is for libraries.
In light of the recent announcements from publishers about pricing for and sales to libraries, we decided we wanted to take a proactive, positive approach to opening a line of communication from readers, especially those who use libraries, to publishers. In an effort to channel that interest positively and help give people a (respectful) voice, several of my colleagues and I have been working on a project called Ebooks for Libraries.
Here’s the link. http://ebooksforlibraries.com/
We went live today. The intent is positive – to educate readers and library users about the current ebook market and how libraries may currently purchase ebooks and to establish a way for readers, who are also library users, to become familiar with and to give feedback to publishers. Since most readers don’t read by publisher brand, (“I want everything you have published by Random House.” isn’t something we typically hear, we think this could be a good thing for publishers and libraries. J )
We are also encouraging librarians to educate themselves, their boards and their customers about the current ebook situation so that they can speak about it knowledgeably and civilly and ultimately, make good decisions for their libraries and readers.
It’s also a petition site. It allows people to sign a request to publishers to work with libraries to provide readers with the stories they want in the formats they want. If it takes off and we receive at least 10,000 signatures, we’ll be sending the big six publishers a snail mail copy of the petition.
If you are using it to help your library and community learn more about ebooks and digital content issues and to encourage them to advocate for their local libraries, I’d love to hear from you.
Gina Millsap, CEO
Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
I hope you will sign the petition and will forward the link to your friends, colleagues and communities. Let me know if you have questions.
Robert Banks, Kansas Chapter Councilor
Chief Operating Officer
Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
1515 SW 10th Ave
Topeka, KS 66604
