Mark your calendars. April 18th episode of American Libraries Live will focus on the present and future of ebooks and what their continued popularity means for libraries and librarians everywhere. The interactive (and free) discussion will be moderated by No Shelf Required blogger and ebook expert Sue Polanka and will include contributions from: • Jamie LaRue, Director of [...]

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November 21, 2012 – CHICAGO—ALA Editions announces eContent Quarterly, a new online journal. Launching in Fall 2013, eContent Quarterly will offer practical, user-driven solutions and ideas for curating, developing, integrating and managing content in rapidly-changing digital library environments. The journal is edited by Sue Polanka and Mirela Roncevic, whose deep knowledge of the e-content landscape and [...]

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ONLINE magazine has a new column called Ebook Buzz.  The column, written by Sue Polanka, features a discussion of university presses and eBooks.  From the text: “What’s the buzz about? EBook Buzz, ONLINE’s newest column, will discuss and debate the advances of ebooks in libraries and scholarly publishing. EBook Buzz will explore varied topics from a [...]

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The January 1, 2012 issue of Booklist features Sue Polanka’s Off The Shelf column on reference apps.  Titled, “Reference- I’ve got an App for That,” the article highlights iOS and Android apps from 7 reference publishers.  Here is an excerpt and list of reference publishers included: Excerpt: “These days, it seems there’s an app for [...]

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Check out the latest article in American Libraries Magazine (Dispatches from the Field column) about eBook purchasing.  It is a condensed version of a larger piece that will appear in Library Technology Reports Nov/Dec issue, which should be available very soon. Topics include: print to digital, business models, publishers/aggregators/wholesalers, buying through consortia, and evaluating vendors. [...]

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No Shelf Required has been busy this past year exploring the many topics of eBooks and libraries.  Very soon, two new publications will be available from ALA Publishing which share the No Shelf Required name.  These new publications contain completely new content, expanding upon No Shelf Required: E-books in Libraries, ALA Editions, 2011. Details are [...]

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With the advent of the internet and growing popularity of Wikipedia, traditional library reference tools have experienced a decline in use.  As a result, many reference publishers began producing electronic books or converting traditional print multi-volume titles to online databases.  While this has been a valiant effort, much of the content still goes undiscovered due [...]

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Patron Driven Acquisition has gained much interest from libraries these days. As a result, many are writing about their experiences with the new business model. Today, Inside Higher Education featured an article on “PDA In the Library,” (E-book acquisition based on use and demand could save libraries thousands). This article discusses the benefits of PDA, [...]

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Please note that the part two blog post has now been added to the New Jersey eBook Summit Summary. Today the NJ State Library, LinbraryLinkNJ- The NJ Library Cooperative, NJ Library Association and the NJLA Reference Section sponsored an E-book Summit in Eatontown, New Jersey.  The line-up of speakers included: Eli Neiburger, Ann Arbor District [...]

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Pictured from left to right:  Eli Neiberger, Patricia Tumulty, Mary Minow, Norma Blake, Robert Miller, Sue Polanka, Cheryl O’Connor, Joseph Sanchez, Peggy Cadigan. Today the NJ State Library, LinbraryLinkNJ- The NJ Library Cooperative, NJ Library Association and the NJLA Reference Section sponsored an E-book Summit in Eatontown, New Jersey.  The line-up of speakers included: Eli [...]

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