This article points out that many of the values of librarianship (privacy, sharing, preservation) are in conflict with current ebook models. Ebooks are not private ("libraries can't protect data stored with third parties"), ebooks can't be shared ("people can't give their used ebooks to the library"), and ebooks can't be preserved ("we can't preserve files we can't keep"). Even access is not universal ("Does your ebook platform provide content that's compatible with all devices?").

"The consequences many libraries have feared-loud objections from faculty members and financial penalties from publishers-have not come to pass."

One of the quotes from this post that stands out is "Of course, sifting through vast quantities of information in order to show people the important stuff is what newspapers are supposed to do..." Substitute the word 'librarians' for 'newspapers' and we are talking the same language.

Weird.

"Today publishers are spending as much as $20,000 a pop to create book trailers-30- to 90-second teasers, à la movie trailers, designed to generate virtual and word-of-mouth buzz and, of course, to sell titles."

"A new report from the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project finds that 12% of readers of ebooks borrowed an ebook from their libraries in the past year, and a majority of respondents (62%) don't know if their local library provides ebooks. "

"You're not familiar with the Incunabula? Are you a librarian?"" If not, that's okay. "Our profession's new demands require librarians who can write regular expressions, tweak stylesheets, and manage databases."

"Everyone's buzzing about Pinterest, a new social media tool that connects people through the things they like-but for a growing number of users in classrooms and media centers, it's fast becoming a powerful resource where teachers and students share images, store lesson plans, read about current events, watch video clips, and collect their favorite apps."

The city of McAllen, Texas converted a Wal-Mart into a spacious public library and won the 2012 Library Interior Design Competition in the process.

Penguin Group and electronic-book distributor 3M have made a deal with two New York City public library systems that will return Penguin e-books to library shelves for a one-year pilot. Penguin is one of four major publishers that don't make e-books available to libraries. The pilot, crafted to protect e-book sales, will delay the release of e-books to the libraries for six months after the titles go on sale in stores and online. Each library e-book will expire after a year.

The Library of Congress is having an exhibition of the "Books That Shaped America" as part of a multi-year celebration of the book. The initial book list is here. How many have you read?

Are print books becoming just another decorative object?

"Approximately 400 to 600 libraries worldwide have switched to a patron-driven system for purchasing new works, and that number is likely to double over the next year and a half, according to Joseph Esposito, a digital publishing consultant who has spent the last nine months studying the implications of PDA with a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation."

Supreme Librarians in Metaspace! Definitely take a look at this promotional comic by Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management. Click on the cover to go to the comic.

In 2000 Microsoft made a series of predictions about ebooks over the following 20 years. The prediction for 2012 includes an ad campaign by the logging industry that says, "Buy the real thing - real books printed on real paper.

"If the library has its way, this Beaux Arts-style building on Manhattan's 42nd Street - the one with the giant lions out front - will soon see some changes. A hotly debated renovation plan would demolish the seven stuffy floors of stacks. Some of the books would be stored under nearby Bryant Park, and up to 2 million books would be moved to climate-controlled storage in Princeton, N.J."

Cynthia Dudenhoffer wrote this article in College & Research Libraries News about using Pinterest as a library marketing tool.

"Libraries' most devoted e-users aren't choosing using the web over coming to the library in person. Rather, they are choosing to do both."

"In Our Mothers' House" was removed from shelves of elementary school libraries after a group of parents objected to the content. Librarians are being asked to supply names of other books containing gay and lesbian characters.

"The current model of digital content delivery for libraries places library users' privacy at risk. Authorizing the loan of an ebook or the use of a database can communicate unique identifiers or personally identifiable information that reveals a user's identity."