LISNews: Librarian News

Oxford Bibliographies Online: More Rant Than Review
Oxford is certainly adding value to the work of the scholars who write the content for the OBO. There is significant organizational work (anyone who has edited a scholarly journal knows all about the cat-herding involved) and technical work; I imagine the academics who edit the Subjects do most of the editorial work, and the peer reviewers are minimally compensated. The product looks good and should be easy to use (we haven’t requested a trial). But is Oxford adding value to the tune of $1000 per subject per year? My beloved Jenkins cost me about $40, in paperback (I bought a personal copy), and I don’t have to pay for it annually.

Note from Senator Al Franken of MN:

A few weeks ago, Google and Verizon announced a proposed policy framework that they claimed would protect net neutrality, but it does not apply to wireless Internet services. It does not protect net neutrality -- it undermines it.

We've set up a special link so you can watch the hearing, courtesy of the UpTake -- it starts at 6:00 Central Time (7:00 Eastern) tonight.

Please invite your friends to watch by Tweeting and posting to Facebook. This is a big opportunity for us to stand up for net neutrality -- and stand up to big corporations who want to own the flow of information in America.

SkyRiver Files Antitrust Suit Against OCLC
July 29, 2010
Emeryville, CA—In a move that could have far-reaching implications for competition in the library software and technology services industry, SkyRiver Technology Solutions, LLC has filed suit in federal court in San Francisco against OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. The suit alleges that OCLC, a purported non-profit with a membership of 72,000 libraries worldwide, is unlawfully monopolizing the markets for cataloging services, interlibrary lending, and bibliographic data, and attempting to monopolize the market for integrated library systems, by anticompetitive and exclusionary practices. -- Read More

Publishers Need to Offer Popular E-Books through Libraries
Currently only a few publishers and distributors offer popular e-books in a manner that allows libraries to license and “lend” them or check them out to the public. E-books are a very exciting format that should dramatically change the “book” experience with the incorporation of multimedia, links to related sources, and of social networking.

A group of library folks have issued an Open Letter to E-Book Creators and Sellers encouraging them to take advantage of library buying power and make their popular e-book titles available to libraries and through them to the public. Done properly, everyone is a winner with libraries offering popular e-books.

Libraries and their customers have a long and mutually beneficial relationship with authors, publishers, and vendors, based on the printed word – books. Now, with the emergence of popular e-books and e-book readers, libraries are positioned to continue that partnership with these exciting new products.

Libraries have much to offer e-book sellers as you work to establish a new successful business model around the e-book format. At the same time libraries need e-book providers to offer e-pub materials in ways that enable and support use by libraries and library users. Here is the deal.

We will help you sell popular e-books.

- When users find e-books in library catalogs or on websites, they can borrow them and may have the option to rent or buy them. -- Read More