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In the past, publishers and authors had no way of knowing what happens when a reader sits down with a book. Does the reader quit after three pages, or finish it in a single sitting? Do most readers skip over the introduction, or read it closely, underlining passages and scrawling notes in the margins? Now, e-books are providing a glimpse into the story behind the sales figures, revealing not only how many people buy particular books, but how intensely they read them.

I realize I should probably be bothered by this some a privacy point of view, but I kind of like the idea that my reading habits are offering concrete feedback. "Dear publisher, this is where the book got boring and I gave up."

Forgive me but the bookseller in me found this amusing and disturbing at the same time. I knew this books was "hot" but really? A British charity has called for a burning of the book "50 Shades of Grey" by E.L. James. Wearside Women in Need, which focuses on domestic violence, has asked readers to drop off books for a planned bonfire on Nov. 5.

This has to be my favorite quote of the day! "I couldn't find anything that turned me on, other than the fact that he gives her a rare copy of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles.' "

Megan, that's my favorite quote of the day, too.

A heartening story about how the libraries of Douglas County, CO are bucking the current trend of leasing music from services like OverDrive.  As a result, they negotiate directly with publishers, actually own their electronic books, and are able to display said electronic books directly in their catalog, not just in a ebook-only ghetto (a source of irritation to me).  The author suggests this could start a new trend that might culminate in a loosely-organized, nation-wide system that allows smaller libraries to benefit from the expertise and work from larger systems with more resources, like Douglas County.

The Free Library of Philadelphia has a program in which free NOOK Simple Touch e-readers are loaned to patrons over the age of fifty. However, the NOOK is completely inaccessible to patrons who are blind. Library personnel had discouraged two blind patrons from even attempting to check out one of the devices. The library had also been issued letters from the Department of Education regarding the obligation of federally funded institutions to purchase accessible e-book readers and other technologies. It's not clear from the release what steps the library may have taken to remedy the situation or how it escalated to the point of a lawsuit.

Interesting graphic on ebook usage in the US.

Bexar County, TX opens a library without books.

A more doom-and-gloom article, although I note that while eBook sales have increased, so have those of hardbooks.

When I read the first part of the article I thought "Oh e-books and other electronic resources. That's cool." But then I read on-I just couldn't believe the books were "lost" where have all the books gone? Very interesting article and some of the comments brought up other good points too.

I love reading Bobbi's blogs and I follow her on twitter. She brings up some great points about e-books. This is a really complex issue and I don't think its going to get any easier. Coming from a retail background where I sold e-books and e-readers its interesting to hear the librarians' point of view. I think we've still got a long way to go be for anything will be settled in this big debate.

The ALA Digital Content and Libraries Working Group published an "Ebook Business Models for Public Libraries" report August 8. You can read more about the process, or jump right to a PDF download of the report.

A somewhat hopeful article pointing out that the interest in e-book readers is leveling off while print continues, and that if anything things such as online self-publishing have helped as it reduces the risk for commercial publishers in recruiting new authors.

The author talks about how using electronic devices can alter our accustomed behaviors, such as mistakenly swiping a finger when reading a printed newspaper expecting it to turn the page the same as if it were on a tablet. He then carries this over into an argument that the brain changes that cause this hasten the adoption rate for new technologies. Ultimately I disagree with this as it's only becoming habituated to an interface, and not something intrinsic with the medium itself.

In good news for readers and libraries, Macmillan, the last of five major publishers in an anti-trust lawsuit, have settled with the DOJ. This means that retailers can begin discounting digital titles they have for sale. Apple is the only publisher still outstanding in the lawsuit.

And why would they do it?  Probably because as it stands, it doesn't work as intended. As people realize that what they're doing isn't buying content so much as leasing it, it's interesting to see how their attitudes have changed towards DRM. 

An interesting article that mentions slightly over half of Americans 16 or over have visited a library in the past year, and that the proportions of patrons who felt collections should be moved to make way for tech centers and cultural events was less than those who wanted to keep books. Some interesting ideas libraries have started to use include Redbox style lending machines and Rokus with accounts for Internet streaming video services already on them.

We're at the dawn of the tablet era now. Earlier this month, Apple sold 3 million of its new iPad during the opening weekend, with some analysts expecting over 60 million of the tablets to be sold worldwide. What's more, e-book readers are selling even more briskly than tablets.

I heard today that after the Govmn't sued Apple and 5 ebook publishers for colluding to keep pricing favorable, 3 of the 5 publishers have already settled out of court. I wonder if Apple thinks they have a strong enough case...

Interesting project in Austria. They placed 70 QR codes around the city each leading to a particular ebook or mp3 that can be downloaded for free.  The blog states, "This project is in effect giving digital content a finite location, thus removing one of the key aspects that separates paper books from ebooks". 

I wonder if the posts are in places with literary or historical significance-- e.g., a QR code near the former home of a famous author, leading to excerpts or readings from his or her books. I can see a huge potential for museums here, actually. For example, at the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, a QR code can be posted to information or collections on the Dred Scott Decision. Or here in Columbia, QR codes posted in the Red Campus can pull up copies of historical documents on the 1892 fire.

Move over OverDrive here comes 3M. Here is my favorite quote : "They're (patrons) able to do it (download books) on their own. [3M] is doing something right." This is huge as someone who worked at B&N for 4 years usability is a big deal. B&N is where people came to troubleshoot and the biggest headache was OverDrive (I hear its easier now). Also it'll be nice having someone else in the e-book market for libraries.

A look at the big e-book debate between libraries and publishers.

A new DRM feature called "SiDiM" intends to watermark eBooks by slightly changing the punctuation and text for each copy, this making them unique. Some concerns is how it may changes things for the reader or from what the author intended. A similar technique is used for some music files.