Vendors

Amazon Wants Your PO

For CNet News, Erich Luening writes...

\"Online retail giant Amazon.com is looking beyond individual consumers with a new program intended to attract organizations such as libraries, schools and businesses.
The new Corporate Accounts Program allows institutional purchasers to create a managed account with a payment method other than credit card, by which they can buy books, software, videos and other goods online, the company announced Wednesday. \"Whether it is local librarians ordering hard-to-find titles, corporate librarians purchasing training materials or small businesses buying software printers, these customers will now be able to use purchase orders as a method of payment at Amazon.com,\" Jason Kilar, vice president of media products at Amazon.com, said in a statement.\" more...

Poky Little Puppy Finds New Home

From The Business Journal (WI)...

Random House will soon be taking over operations of Golden Books, publishers of \"Little Golden Books.\" Classic Media will take over the entertainment division of the downed organization. The acquisition comes after a federal bankruptcy court approved the sale of the organization by \"a joint bid betwen Random House and Classic Media for $84.4 million plus liabilities.\" During its operational time, Golden Books published over 500,000 titles, including the favored \"Poky Little Puppy.\" more...

Amazon, eBay Shareholders Sue Analyst for Biased Research

Found this one posted at CNet News.

\"Mary Meeker, the Morgan Stanley analyst once dubbed \"Queen of the Internet\" for her bullish reports on the industry, was named as a defendant in a pair of lawsuits Wednesday alleging she provided biased research on eBay and Amazon.com.\" more...

Questia to Let College buy Online Library Service in Bulk

For The Houston Chronicle, Tom Fowler writes...

\"Questia Media continues to adjust its marketing strategy this summer with a plan to offer universities the ability to buy subscriptions for its online library and research service in bulk. The bulk purchase is something of a departure for Questia, which in the past was emphatic that it would only sell its $19.95 per month service to individuals. According to Michael Bell, VP of Academic Affairs at Elmhurst College \"Keeping the library staff involved in the use of Questia is important since the service had a tendency to raise the hackles of librarians initially. Questia has been seen by some as a replacement for the library, but it can\'t do that. For us it serves as an answer to a very tough challenge of trying to meet a variety of needs with a limited budget.\" more...

This is Your Brain on Vacation

For The Dallas Morning News, Tim Wyatt has written an article on homework sites for kids to refresh their minds on what they may have lost during the summer. He\'s included some pretty cool links that are definitely worth checking out. [more...]

B & T Joins Gaylord to Allow Libraries to Check-Out Digital Text

I came across this while doing one of those library things ... It seems that B & T and Gaylord have joined forces to develop a means of allowing libraries to download and circulate electronic text. This is what Katherine Blauer, the prez of Gaylord has to say: \"Truly efficient workflows for ordering, order acknowledgement and invoicing have been elusive in the world of acquisitions processing. Our close collaboration with Baker & Taylor will streamline the acquisitions process and reduce the amount of time it takes to get materials into the hands of library users.\" Yeah, but what\'s it gonna cost? [more...]

... And the truth shall make shipping free

Why did a 49-cent booklet of Bible verses become a temporary bestseller on Amazon.com? Because people took Amazon up on its offer of free shipping on purchases of two or more items. Word got around that The Book of Hope was one of the least expensive items to add to the shopping cart for item number two. Story in the Chicago Tribune.

Little bits o\' lit

The Chicago Tribune has an article about two alternative distribution channels for literature: the Chapter-A-Day e-mail service; and Travelman Short Stories, which are being sold as fan-folded sheets from a machine in a London Underground station.

A quote from an American short-story author about the vending machine: "I don\'t think it would work here. So few people read short stories in this country. Selling them in the same way you sell gum or condoms, I don\'t think it would appeal to the same people who read short stories."

Amazon.com Being Sued by its Own Shareholders

This one comes by way of BBC News...
Within the past week or so, it was reported that Internet giant, Amazon.com was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible inside trading. It seems that things are getting worse for Mr. B. It looks as though there may have actually been some, to quote the news, \"highly speculative\" activities going on. Oh, what a tangled web he weaves...yada yada. [more...]
For the related story, click here

Questia: Some Issues

T. G. McFadden, the Director @ Schaffer Library, Union College in Schenectady, NY has written this look at Questia.


And while we\'re on the subject, a couple people have asked what happened to the Questia interview. I spoke with someone at the company who said they would rather not answer so many important questions in that format, and would rather answer each person individually.Read on for T.G.\'s look at Questia.

\"The following observations and findings are based on a limited, but perhaps not unrepresentative, trial of how Questia handles certain authors and subjects in areas familiar to me. Naturally, any conclusions or results should be independently verified. -- Read More

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