[Web4lib] RE: library automation vendors

Wed Jul 20 15:38:40 EDT 2005

Four years ago, Anaheim loaded the MARC records for 2,000 NetLibrary
e-books into our system.  We then advertised with posters and bookmarks
of our e-book collection.  We had 36 hits on our e-books over the
six-month trial period.  After that, the e-book records were removed
from our system and we opted out of the program.

My message to e-book vendors since then has been "until you have quick
reference titles to offer, we have nothing to talk about."

Of course, their response has been that Quick Reference titles are more
expensive to reproduce so that is why their offerings are limited there.
My response to that, not my problem. 

Thomas Edelblute
Anaheim Public Library

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Jim Campbell
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:54 AM
To: 'Sue Kamm'; web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Web4lib] RE: library automation vendors

Well, Ms. Kamm, two replies and a comment:

1. I do work in an academic library (and incidentally we also circulate
a lot of fiction and have the same printing problems - different content
but same idea). By and large our clients also still prefer hard copy
(and so do I). That's why I said "as we _eventually_ move more into
e-books" the definition will change. I think it's going to happen, just
as I think we're going to give up local bibliographic databases, but I
don't expect either eventuality next month. But I do think the
definition of "local" is changing now, certainly for journals and for
reference materials.

2. You know your customers don't want this stuff, but are you sure your
community doesn't? People who are getting used to finding things on the
Web may not be coming to the library or calling you and so missing out
on things you provide. We see that with our customers and I suspect it
happens in the public library world as well. I've been a user and
supporter of one or another public library for over 50 years but have
noticed that I almost never go anymore just to look something up the way
I used to.

And e-book readers nowadays include PDAs and some telephones. It's not
something I'm tempted to do, but I can tell you from looking at some of
the e-book discussion groups that there are people out there right now
reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on PDAs. They're probably
too young for the margaritas though.

- Jim Campbell

Digital Access Coordinator and Librarian for German
E-Mail: Campbell at Virginia.Edu | Voice: 434-924-4985

Digital Access Services, University of Virginia Library
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/digital/das/

> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org 
> [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Sue Kamm
> Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 1:48 PM
> To: campbell at virginia.edu; 'Thomas Edelblute'; web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: RE: [Web4lib] RE: library automation vendors
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Campbell <campbell at virginia.edu>
> Sent: Jul 20, 2005 6:03 AM
> To: 'Thomas Edelblute' <TEdelblute at anaheim.net>, 
> web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: RE: [Web4lib] RE: library automation vendors
> 
> But why would pulling that information from a big database in Ohio 
> instead of from a small database in Anaheim keep them from finding 
> that out?  Or alternatively pulling the author and title information 
> from OCLC and the on shelf information from a local system and 
> combining them for the user? Your existing library system probably 
> works that way now, pulling the bibliographic information from one (or

> several)
> dataset(s) and the circulation information from another and combining 
> them on the fly.
> 
> And of course as we eventually move more into e-books the definition 
> of "in my library" is going to change for books just as it already has

> for journals.
> 
> >>Mr. Campbell, do you work in a public library?  Your
> assertions about
> >>e-books and online periodicals may be correct in an
> academic library,
> >>but Mr. Edelbute and I work in public libraries.  I don't
> know about
> >>Anaheim PL, but the clientele in my library still prefer hardcopy.  
> >>(One of the big complaints in public libraries is
> controlling printing
> >>costs.  Until many of us installed a system requiring prepayment, a 
> >>lot of Pokemon figures, Magic School Bus licenses, and game
> code was
> >>being printed and not picked up.)
> 
> In contrast to academic libraries, public libraries circulate a lot of

> fiction.  Who's going to shlep an ebook reader out to poolside when 
> it's so much easier to recline in a deck chair, margarita at hand, and

> paperback to read?
> 
> Your friendly CyberGoddess and Councilor-at-large, Sue Kamm 
> Inglewood/Los Angeles, CA Truest of the Blue, Los Angeles Dodgers 
> Think Blue Week 2000 Visit my home page:
> http://suekamm.home.mindspring.com/index.htm
> email:  suekamm [at] mindspring.com
> "What I wonder is, where are all the guys who just like to play 
> baseball?"
> --Wes Parker, former Los Angeles Dodgers infielder 
> _______________________________________________
> Web4lib mailing list
> Web4lib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
> 

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