PRH Extends (Again!) Its Story Time Temporary Permissions

Skip Dye, Senior Vice President, Library Sales and Digital Strategy for Penguin Random House (PRH), has announced that the publisher is “extending our Story Time Temp Permissions program to March 31, 2021. We are continuing to get requests as more and more libraries and schools have had to close do to the increase cases of Covid-19. Our hope in extending the program is to give some stability for educators, librarians and booksellers in knowing that they can still use our author’s books for story time. We have updated the webpage and the form to reflect the new extension of March 31, 2021.”

Full information is available here:

In short, non-profit story tellers can use PRH titles virtually under an expanded agreement:

For Teachers, Educators, Librarians, Booksellers, and Other Qualified Individuals providing distance learning and read-aloud events:

• Story time or classroom read-aloud videos in which a Penguin Random House book is read aloud (including the reader showing pictures in the case of picture books) may be created and posted to closed educational platforms such as Google Classroom, Schoology, Edmodo, and Discovery Education, along with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, in order to replicate the read-aloud book experience that would otherwise be available to teachers and educators in the classroom, librarians in the library, and booksellers in the bookstores. Other qualified individuals are included, as long as the reading is not for profit.

RF thanks PRH for promoting libraries’ ability to foster literacy in this difficult time!

News from the IA: Marygrove College Collection Now Digital, Michelle Wu Honored

Press Releases from the Internet Archive:

The valuable collection of Marygrove College Library will be preserved - digitally and physically - for students and future generations.

DETROIT, MI: The collection of Detroit-based Marygrove College Library, comprising more than 70,000 books and journals, starts a new life online with the support of Internet Archive.

With the college closing in December 2019 , concerns arose about the future of the library’s collection, which offers a uniquely African American perspective, reflecting the historical and cultural influences of its local community in Detroit. The importance of amplifying these voices led to the decision by the Board of Trustees to donate the full collection to Internet Archive , a non-profit library. “

We didn’t want the majority of the volumes to end up in a landfill. By donating the materials to Internet Archive, we were able to preserve the entire collection that we had built over the decades and make it available to everyone,” said Dr. Elizabeth Burns, Marygrove College President . “ There was a sense that all was not lost. The legacy of the collection will be available for ongoing education. That really helped ease the pain of the transition.”

“When I heard that the library was going to be digitized, I felt like it was going to be a stroke of genius, “ said Valerie Deering, Marygrove College alumna Class of 1972. “That there was not going to be a book burning, that these books weren't going to end up at the Salvation Army where nobody really knew or understood or would appreciate what they've been to generations of students.”

The collection is now available for free through Internet Archive’s website and will also be preserved in its physical archives. Internet Archive hopes that making the collection available online will expand access for marginalized groups such as those with disabilities that affect reading.

“A library is much more than the books on the shelves—it is the center of a community,” said Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive’s founder and digital librarian. “It reflects a history of a hundred years of interests and passions and collections that have been built by librarians, faculty and students. Having that collection all online brings that community online, but also allows that artifact to be used by people all over the world. That is the idea of this next generation of Marygrove College Library.”

Still, the security of the collection is not guaranteed. Internet Archive is facing a legal challenge which, if successful, would mean that libraries are no longer able to own and lend digital books, or digitize physical books for archival purposes. Access to the Marygrove collection would be restricted and its preservation threatened.

The release of the collection will be announced on October 20 at the ongoing Library Leaders Forum , a three-week virtual summit for the library community. The event marks the beginning of the #EmpoweringLibraries campaign , which aims to protect the key role of libraries in democratic society.

“ I hope that those who view our collection will not only find the information they seek, but will also witness and appreciate the College mission to promote social justice through activism,” said Mary Kickham-Samy, library director.

In other news, Michelle Wu will receive the Internet Archive Hero Award. Ms. Wu has bene instrumental in developing the idea of and legal justification for Controlled Digital Lending. Congratulations, Michelle!

Andrew Albanese on "A Reset for Library E-books"

“In the wake of the pandemic, can publishers and libraries finally hash out their differences?”

So asks Andrew Albanese of Publishers Weekly in a recent article that is worth a read.

While publishers have provided some new models/prices that have helped libraries provide greater access to ebooks in a time of increased demand, we are left to wonder about the future:

“What happens when the pandemic is behind us? If the library e-book market simply returns to its pre-pandemic state—in which publishers unilaterally raise prices and change terms without negotiation or even consultation—and digital demand remains dramatically higher, as is expected, how will libraries manage? The uneasy feeling shared by many librarians is that the pandemic may have necessarily changed the course of the digital library market during this annus horribilis, but the underlying issues and dysfunction in the market have still not been addressed. And as many libraries begin to reopen their print collections in some form, librarians say that publishers have yet to offer any clue about what the future may hold.

Now is the time for library stakeholders—ALA and its subgroups, ULC, CULC, COSLA—to band together to ask for change not just for the pandemic, but for all time and for all users. We can ask for meetings that create real progress, and, failing that progress, exercise our buying and taste-making power to support publishers that do help. COVID is a catalyst for transformation. The digital future is hear even faster than we thought it might be. Without substantive change of some kind, library ebook collections will remain small and ephemeral and we can slowly (or not so slowly) watch usage decline and our relevance fade.

The Textbook Crisis

Lindsay McKenzie has written a piece for Inside Higher Ed about how library COVID quarantines of print materials are hitting college students hard: “Librarians are quarantining print materials for several days between loans to stop the spread of COVID-19. For students who rely on the library to access textbooks, that’s a problem.”

She adds that “During the spring, many publishers made access to digital course materials free to ease students’ transition into remote instruction. But that offer was temporary. At Santa Fe Community College, for example, students are still learning remotely and do not have access to print materials in the library.”

The students who need the most help are increasingly finding that they do not have the resources to earn their place in an increasingly digital society.

The article is worth a read. Our takeaway, oversimplifying but essential: Publishers, give college libraries access to digital textbooks at a reasonable cost!

Join PW for a Conversation About Library Digital Content

Publishers Weekly is hosting a conversation that will be of interest to librarians interested in the present and future of digital content. (Disclaimer—one panelist, Kelvin Watson, is a member of the ReadersFirst Working Group.) It is free.

Register Here

Episode 2: What’s Next for Library E-books and Digital Content?

Tuesday, October 27, 2020
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EDT.

As the Covid-19 pandemic forced America’s libraries to close their doors, demand for library e-books and digital audio has surged. But librarians warn that the success of their digital pivot during the crisis belies the expense and complexity of the market. This webinar will explore the state of the digital library market in the wake of the pandemic, and how this historic digital surge might inform much-needed changes to the digital library market.

SPEAKERS

Lisa Rosenblum, director of the King County Library System, Washington
One of the busiest library systems in the country, KCLS circulates more than 20 million items and welcomes approximately 10 million visitors annually with an annual operating budget of $130 million, 50 libraries, and 1,300 staff. KCLS has consistently ranked as one of the nation’s leaders in digital circulations.

Ramiro S. Salazar, director, San Antonio Public Library, TX
Salazar has served as the director of the San Antonio Public Library for 15 years, responsible for the delivery of library services to almost 2 million residents in San Antonio and Bexar County, with a team of over 550 employees. He is the immediate past president of the Public Library Association.

Kelvin Watson, director, Broward County Libraries (FL)
Watson oversees roughly 1,000 employees in 38 library locations. Widely known as an innovator, Watson was named the 2019 Librarian of the Year by the Florida Library Association (FLA), and in 2016 was inaugural winner of ALA’s Ernest A. DiMattia Award for Innovation and Service to Community and Profession.

Kathy Zappitello, executive director, Conneaut Public Library (OH) and 2021 president of the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL). Zappitello has worked for over 17 years in Ohio libraries is a board member for Ohio Library Council’s Small Library Division.

Moderated by:

Sari Feldman is former executive director of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Cleveland, Ohio, and a former president of both the Public Library Association (2009–2010) and the American Library Association (2015–2016). She has been a PW columnist since 2017.

Hosted by:

Andrew Richard Albanese is Senior Writer at Publishers Weekly. He has covered the publishing and information technology fields for more than 20 years for numerous publications around the world. He is a former associate editor of American History at Oxford University Press, and is the author of The Battle of $9.99: How Apple, Amazon and the Big Six Publishers Changed the E-Book Business Overnight.

CULC Endorses a ReadersFirst posted Position Paper

As previously posed on ReadersFirst, Carmi Parker posted a detailed position paper on library digital lending. Ms. Parker is a member of our Working Group, but this paper is her work. ReadersFirst is, however, pleased to host it.

News has reached us that The Canadian Urban Library Council (CULC) has unanimously endorsed the paper, believing it to present useful evidence and a blueprint for moving forward to address library concerns about digital lending.

We are delighted to have the endorsement from CULC, which has proven itself to be a great advocate for improving the library digital content experience. Emboldened by it, we are moving forward to get similar endorsements from other stakeholders and hope we might make this paper a part of fruitful conversations with publishers. No, really! Hearing from publishers, especially representatives of the Big 5, about what they think might work and what will not would be very useful. What do we have to lose from honest conversation? Surely there is much to gain. More details will follow as they are available, if we can and others can foster conversations. Can we reach agreement on models that are fair, even if neither side will like everything? Surely with the pandemic continuing, demand rising, and publishers and libraries seeking answers, now is the time.

The Internet Archive Launches #EmpoweringLibraries

The Internet Archive has posted to its blog about a new campaign in support of Controlled Digital Lending. Here’s what they say:

About the campaign 

Libraries have a crucial role in a democratic society. They ensure that marginalized groups have free access to books and that knowledge is preserved for future generations. 

But this role is under threat. We urgently need your support to protect the right of libraries to continue doing their vital work. 

Borrowing digital books is a lifeline for people who cannot physically reach a library, such as those in rural communities or affected by an emergency, as well as for people with print disabilities. 

Libraries rely on a well-established practice known as controlled digital lending to reach these communities. The practice allows libraries to lend out each book they own in either a physical or a digitized format.

Digitizing books also enables libraries to fulfill their age-old role as guardians of cultural posterity. As library shelf space grows increasingly limited due to lack of funding, many valuable collections are saved from landfill only by being digitally archived. 

A new lawsuit by four corporate publishers against the Internet Archive attempts to outlaw controlled digital lending. Libraries would no longer be able to lend digital versions of their books or digitize their collections. 

The impact on our most vulnerable communities, as well as on our cultural heritage, would be severe. 

Join the #EmpoweringLibraries campaign to keep knowledge accessible to all. 

Sign up here to get updates.

Look here for a communications pack social media assets including photos, social media posts and newsletter copy to promote Internet Archive’s Library Leaders Forum 2020 and the associated campaign, #EmpoweringLibraries.

RF encourages libraries to be engaged to support Controlled Digital Lending, a legitimate use of materials that allows access to titles not digitized and in gray copyright, while at the same time encouraging respect for author’s rights to fair compensation. The two are not mutually exclusive. Our ability to share and preserve materials is under threat. Time to act!

PM Press Sells Ebooks to the Internet Archive for CDL

The Internet Archive has tweeted and posted on its blog that PM Press is selling its books to the Internet Archive to circulate through Controlled Digital Lending.

Like any commercial publisher, Ramsey Kanaan wants to make money and have as many people as possible read his books. But he says his company, PM Press, can do both by selling his books to the public and to libraries for lending – either in print or digitally.

While most publishers only license ebooks to libraries, PM Press has donated and sold both print and ebook versions of its titles to the Internet Archive to use in its Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) program. By owning the copies, the Internet Archive ensures that the press’s collection of publications is available to the public and preserved.

“We’re not above profit making. It’s with sales that we pay our salaries.  Nevertheless, the reason we are also doing this is we actually believe in the information we are selling and we want to make it accessible,” says Kanaan.  “We want our books to be in every library.”

RF says a big thanks to PM Press. You have it right: libraries help people discover and, yes, buy your works.

We do take slight issue, however, with the IA Tweet.

it says “This shouldn't be news but it is. @PMPressOrg is actually selling its ebooks to @InternetArchive so we can loan them out, one copy at a time thru #ControlledDigitalLending. Most publishers make libraries lease ebooks, like a car. So buying ebooks? [Thumbs up] http://blog.archive.org/2020/09/21/pm-press-sells-ebooks-to-internet-archive-we-want-our-books-to-be-in-every-library/

Of course, libraries have it far worse than car shoppers.

With a car lease, at least we have the option of buying the car (admittedly at stupid prices) when the lease ends.

Imagine if car shoppers were told, “You can’t buy OUR car but you can lease it for 2 years. And, oh, if you drive it more than 24,000 miles in the two years, we’ll take it away.  And no, at the end of two years, you can’t buy it.  Only leases here.  You’ll have to lease it again for the same price for another two years if you want it when this lease ends.”

License terms that only make PM Press’ use of a perpetual license-or sale—all the more praiseworthy.

Big 5, bring back the perpetual license! We can talk money, but your current restrictive license is wrong.

Alan Inouye's Updates from 9/29/2020

Thank you to Mr. Inouye for following library digital content news!

Report:  Ebook Collection Development in Academic Libraries: Examining Preference, Management, and Purchasing Patterns -- from Choice, ACRL. www.choice360.org/research/...

This Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law will hold a hearing on "Proposals to Strengthen the Antitrust Laws and Restore Competition Online."

judiciary.house.gov/calendar/... [This one could be of great interest to librarians—let’s hope it might strike a blow against providers’ excusive content.]

Recent article in New York Times includes a quote from Amazon on library eBook lending

www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/business/...

Roundup on the departure of John Sargent as CEO of Macmillan Publishers

www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/books/...

fortune.com/2020/09/18/...

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/...

 And on Macmillan Publishers, the company

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/...

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/...

ReadersFirst takes this opportunity to wish Mr. Sargent well. The library ebook statements he made and the licensing/pricing he advocated were often bad indeed for us, but our opposition was never anything personal. Fare the well!

The CFE Calls Out Zoom and YouTube for Censoring Academic Content

Yesterday, the Centre for Free Expression issued a statement of concern about Zoom and YouTube: “When Zoom and YouTube blocked a San Francisco State University [virtual] academic panel discussion on September 23, 2020, they forced to the public eye the dangers of placing content regulation in the hands of tech companies. While the issues presented for discussion in the panel were controversial and many would consider them extreme, we believe that ideas and people must be heard before we can understand them and decide whether we agree or disagree with them. Only by protecting the free exchange of ideas and engaging in critical discussion and debate is social change made possible.”

Let’s admit upfront that the discussion was controversial, as Inside Higher Ed (IHE) has documented: it was “a virtual roundtable discussion on Palestinian rights called ‘Whose Narratives? Gender, Justice and Resistance: A Conversation with Leila Khaled’.” Khaled was involved with a plane hijacking in 1969 and has said “When you defend humanity, you use all the means at your disposal. Some use words, some use arms and some use politics. Some use negotiations. I chose arms and I believe that taking up arms is one of the main tools to solve this conflict in the interest of the oppressed and not the oppressors.” IHE notes “For obvious reasons, Khaled remains controversial: she was banned from entering several countries, including Italy, in 2017, on the grounds that she is a member of terrorist organization. Khaled remains a member of the Popular Front militant group, which the U.S., among other countries, has designated a terrorist organization.”

Facing pressure to cancel the event, San Francisco State remained firmly committed to free discourse. Zoom and YouTube, not so much so. Zoom pulled the plug the day before the event. YouTube started streaming the event but cut it after 20 minutes, with Facebook all promotional materials for good measure. Both cited their policies: {Zoom] “Terms of Service, including those related to user compliance with applicable U.S. export control, sanctions and anti-terrorism laws,” and [YouTube] “content featuring or posted by members of violent criminal organizations, specifically ‘content praising or justifying violent acts carried out by violent criminal or terrorist organizations’." ​

Zoom is a private company and does not have to support public expression of ideas. One wonders how frequently, however, they monitor and shut down conversations. YouTube and Facebook have some nerve banning anything when a search reveals content that certainly discusses views justifying violent or terrorist acts, and in the latter case private groups abound advocating both. Try searching “Proud Boys” sometime.

When faced with a legitimate academic panel that presented a controversial speaker within a context that may have led people to reject her views, all three have clearly knuckled under to pressure from people opposed to the speaker.

The Centre for Free Expression and San Francisco State have taken the principled stand to “call on online technology providers to acknowledge civil liberties and human rights; to leave decisions about what content should be discussed in the hands of the universities, schools, and libraries that use their services; and to recognize that censoring events based on the identity and history of individuals runs the risk of impeding movements for social change at a time when society is calling out for transformation.”

RF agrees, wishes it might be so, and calls upon librarians to continue to support free expression and intellectual freedom, allowing libraries and universities to shape their own programming without Tech Company censorship. Realistically, though, let’s be honest: the integrity of content will forever be imperiled if put on big tech platforms, and libraries and universities should be ready to host and promulgate their own content if they want it to be free, even if that means sacrificing some global reach.