The Edge Initiative

The Hutchinson Public Library will have a great 2013, I think.  As we look toward the future, planning for a new first-floor Technology Center and bring our tech skills to the fore-front, a new tool such as the Edge Initiative seems perfectly timed to help us.

Set to be released in its final form early in 2013, HPL will use this to help us focus on what skills, connections, and programs we should be focusing on to best serve our patrons.

We can start right now though, and you can help us.  What do you want from the Hutchinson Public Library?  What can we do to help you succeed in the endeavors you have planned for 2013 or those you have already underway?  Ideas I have heard when asking this question elsewhere:

• A makerspace
• Teaching / learning sessions for my particular tablet/smartphone/computer
• More emphasis on ebooks
• More options to get a book (send it to an address / print on demand / sell it to me)

The broad question is:  What new areas should HPL be exploring that would help you in your life?  Please share your thoughts in comments or by calling/emailing the library, commenting on our Facebook page.

Looking forward to 2013

I know, it's tiny.  See the photos up close at the library!

Now that we've made it past the "end" of the Mayan calendar with nary a single asteroid collision, continent-swallowing tsunami, rash of super volcanoes, or other civilization-ending apocalypse; we can focus on what's to come in 2013.

We're starting off the year with some terrific guests - Dave McKane's new photography exhibit opens January 3rd at 6pm.  Where his previous exhibit focused on clouds and the relics of farms past, this new show celebrates that glorious moment of deep blue found in the skies near twilight.  The photographs will be on display in the Library's auditorium.  Just after Mr. McKane's opening, we will have a visit from Kevin Williams, editor of the Amish Cook.  The Amish Cook columns appear regularly in the Hutchinson News.  Mr. Williams will be at the library on January 7th at 6:30 pm.  We will have some of his books available for purchase and autographing at that time.

Besides programming, we have many other things to look toward in 2013.  We will continue to make progress on our vision for the library "Technology Center".  As we save money for the project and attempt to raise extra funds for it, we will have professional drawings made to help make real our ideas.  Temporarily, we will add some seating in the area where the adult non-fiction 900s were once housed.

Lighting will be improved in the second floor stacks.  We're looking at a new telephone system that makes use of our upgraded network infrastructure, and there will be changes in the way public computer time is measured and monitored.  Phew.  Now I'm tired.  And that list doesn't even include the interesting ideas I've been reading about for defining our mission / setting our goals for the next couple of years.

EBooks, the "Big 6" and Libraries

What? You can't read that.

A fellow Kansas librarian posted a link to this Forbes article about ebooks and the friction (or lack of - you'll understand if you read the article) between the so-called Big 6 publishers and libraries.  The author advocates for a different pricing model for libraries than what is currently being offered.  Quite correctly he calls out both the publishers and libraries for wrong-headed notions about how this all should work.

FINALLY!  Someone with a much wider readership agrees with me!  :-)

Honestly, the whole trumped-up fight is hurting the readers and the vast majority of authors who are not what is considered "best seller" authors.  I, for one, embrace the idea of thinking outside the box to find a solution.  The purchase-and-lend model may not be the best process for ebooks.  Maybe it is charge-per-use or maybe it is something entirely different.  Maybe it is a combination of the two, because the ability to publish, host, lend AND sell ebooks is not beyond libraries with easily obtainable technology.  Why couldn't libraries help less well-known authors by publishing their works for them when they can't get contracts with big publishers?  Why couldn't libraries also license bestsellers from the big name authors through their equally big name publishers?

Let's get down to business here, folks.  I've got reading and literacy to promote.

SF Book Discussion

We've wrapped up our 2012 science fiction reading here at HPL.  In our SF Book Discussion group, we rounded out our 6 apocalypse-themed selections last evening with Douglas Adams' classic, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I, for one, enjoyed re-reading the book, which I first read some time in the 1980s.  The things that stood out for me were the facts that the Hitchhiker's Guide was an ebook, Douglas Adams' sense of humor still resonates with me, and that I hope his estate got residuals from Amazon for describing the original Kindle and from Yahoo! for creating the Babel fish - a species of creature that translates one language to another for its host.

In reading up on the book and the series, I was surprised to find that the story had been retold in so many different ways and through so many different media.  The book, I believe, was based on a BBC radio series, but there have been movies, a TV show, stage plays, a series of sequels, and so many editions of the book, it's amazing!

Our SF book discussion group has decided to continue into the new year, meeting monthly and ranging out into fantasy as well as science fiction.  We've generated a list that we are mulling over and would gladly consider others from new members.  We're looking at classics in the genre as well as new and authors from all walks of life.  If you'd like to participate, please contact me at gwamsley@hutchpl.org and I'll add you to the email list.  We meet the first Thursday of each month 7 pm at the library.

As we move toward the end of this 400-year cycle of the long count calendar, just remember the sage advice offered by the Guide:

Ebooks - It's been a while since I griped

We have been working very hard at HPL on physical projects involving real shelves, books, and other stuff outside the Internet world.  I know!  Shocking, isn't it?

<rant>During that time I have been watching the "Big 6" publishers continue to treat libraries as their enemies in the ebook world.  And while I am sure that no one pays much attention to my little blog, let alone my rants, I feel remiss for not railing on a daily basis about this ridiculous state of affairs.

Honestly, where does Simon & Schuster think avid readers find out about new authors?  Where does Penguin or Hatchette think new authors get a try and then a following?  Who do they think spends 24/7 thinking of ways to get more people involved in more reading?  And I mean thinking of more ways to get EVERYBODY reading, regardless of means.  I love book stores.  Book stores do some of this.  But they have to stay alive by selling the most popular.  Who helps them with that?  They promote books and authors.  LIBRARIES promote reading and readers.  Apparently though, we're the enemy.  We're going to suck away the meager revenue stream from the big publishers.  Honestly, if that's what they believe, then they are the enemy of readers.

Ebooks "last forever", so how can we make libraries ever buy another copy?  Library patrons will just borrow the library copy whenever they want to read.  Hmm...why not ask us to work out a plan?  No?  You'd rather just turn books into licensed content and sell it and choke off any potential for growth?

Here's the crux of the problem (besides the lure of filthy lucre).  From ALA:

Why are e-books treated differently than print books?

As content migrates from physical to digital forms, the typical access model shifts from
purchasing to licensing. Digital music and online journals represent examples of this shift from the last few decades; e-books represent the latest form of content to make this transition. As licenses are contracts, libraries receive the rights articulated in the agreements. The usual ebook license with a publisher or distributor often constrains or altogether prohibits libraries from archiving and preserving content, making accommodations for people with disabilities, ensuring patron privacy, receiving donations of e-books, and selling e-books that libraries do not wish to retain.

They key is in that paragraph.  Control over the content (contract vs. purchase); the "purchaser" - you, me, a library, no longer "owns" that thing we thought we bought.  Thus, no one can loan it, resell it, or collect it.  But why is that ownership so important?  Collections like those created by libraries are important not just for preserving the past but for creating new ideas and inspiring new stories.  Writers and researchers create from what is available to them.

Too bad the big publishers won't work out a deal.  Libraries want to participate and are willing to pay to play.  Too bad they are so focused on preserving a possibly already-lost corner on the market.  That old chestnut about catching more flies with honey than vinegar is going to come back and bite them.  Libraries could help them flourish in the ebook age and I'd wager we as a group would strike a bargain on almost every issue in that quote above.  Will it happen?  I doubt it.  And everyone - you, me, authors, publishers, and libraries will be the poorer for it. </rant>

HPL QR codes

Otherwise known as "those boxes with the random-looking black-and-white pixel-y squares".  We thought it might be a good idea to let people know what sort of cool mobile tools we have here and that a good way to do it might be to make use of a method pretty much exclusive to smart phones - QR, or "Quick Response" codes.

These codes were originally developed for a specific industry, but as sometimes happens, its use spread far beyond the initial purpose.  Frequently used to direct shoppers to Internet URLs in order to put advertisements before them, retailers have used them for some time.  We thought it might be cool to use one to advertise our new library app, OWL.  OWL lets you browse our catalog and access your library account from your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet.  The QR code above will take you to an informational page about OWL iLibrary and links to the Google Play store and the iTunes store.  The OWL app is free, so please download it and try it out!  You will need an HPL library card in order to log in (you only have to enter the number once).  If you do not have an HPL card, you can browse for your local library - they may have this nifty tool.

Android OWL screen

iPhone screen

Ebook Question

I have a simple question that, as often happens, has opened up a series of other questions.  My question is this:  "What ebook titles would our patrons like to have in the HPL ebook collection?"

This, of course led to: 

• "How will we collect that information?"
• "What method would be best to accumulate answers?"
• "How do we get the word out that we are seeking this information?"
• "What about residents who don't come in to the library?"

In fact, this set of questions could be asked about a number of our newest tools and many of our older ones.

We have some truly awesome yet under-utilized services at HPL, like:

• Real-time stock market data and a wealth of research information from Standard & Poors.
• A brand-new tool for learning a language - Transparent Language Online.
• A list of specialized research tools, many available outside the library.
• A weekly email newsletter that links you to all the new items added to the collection.
• Internet-accessible searching of our catalog AND the ability to log in to your library account.
• A beautiful app providing access to our catalog / your account in both Apple IOS and Android.

My original question, I guess, fits under the over-arching question of, "How do we most effectively communicate with our current and our potential user base?"  Please share your thoughts!