OverDrive is destroying libraries.

[BearMountainBooks]

Larger cities will always have more money to spend on libraries and carry the bonus things like computers, wifi access, children's reading and so on. But yes, in talking to my librarian, they are all very aware that their jobs are in jeopardy and that less of them will be needed. I believe there is already a side community in my area that will only have ebooks/a small building with one part-time employee, but no physical lending or visiting. But--it would have had NONE, including no ebooks if it weren't for ebooks because the money for such a small community library was non-existent.

Technology cuts both ways.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Larger cities will always have more money to spend on libraries and carry the bonus things like computers, wifi access, children's reading and so on. But yes, in talking to my librarian, they are all very aware that their jobs are in jeopardy and that less of them will be needed. I believe there is already a side community in my area that will only have ebooks/a small building with one part-time employee, but no physical lending or visiting. But--it would have had NONE, including no ebooks if it weren't for ebooks because the money for such a small community library was non-existent.

Technology cuts both ways.

I do not see the Position of Librarian going away. They know things
Computers require more precise input. No magic words and no results.

Your Librarian can intuit what you really want and lead you there

All that will change is the Auxiliary skills.
Typewriter Out > Laptop In
Book cart Out > (WiFi) Network wrangling In

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by theducks

I do not see the Position of Librarian going away. They know things
Computers require more precise input. No magic words and no results.

Your Librarian can intuit what you really want and lead you there

All that will change is the Auxiliary skills.
Typewriter Out > Laptop In
Book cart Out > (WiFi) Network wrangling In

At my library we have one less librarian position in the time that I started going there. And a new, bigger library is being built, but the positions (so far) are the same. One of the ladies I worked with handled book binding, doing the categories for missing ones, and several other "maintenance" chores. She does not believe her position will exist when she retires. Other people will take on her duties, but they are not likely to back fill. Is it because of overdrive? Or just cutbacks in general? Hard to say. But my library does have automated checkout desks now so if you are in good standing (no overdues) you can check books out by swiping them and your card all by yourself.

[Conan46]

Our library is actually building an expansion on the back of the building. It signed up for Overdrive very early on, and the librarians realized digital content and computers were being most in demand. The digital collection got moved from the basement to the upstairs by the door. They embraced the changes and were on top of changes from the start, and have benefited from it. Computer games, DVDs, digital reading devices, banks of computers and wifi--there is no complaining from lack of use or that they are being put out of business by Overdrive. They have had sessions teaching people how to download digital books using Overdrive. Embrace change and you have nothing to fear from the future, stay stuck in the past and prepare to close the doors of your library.
BTW--small town library serving maybe 25,000 people.

[Geosprouter]

I would be very upset if my library quit using Overdrive. I think that Overdrive is a great thing. There are so many factors in book publishing that singling out OD as controlling what we can and can not read from our public library's is a bit far fetched in my opinion.

Don't see Overdrive as a problem.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Geosprouter

I would be very upset if my library quit using Overdrive. I think that Overdrive is a great thing. There are so many factors in book publishing that singling out OD as controlling what we can and can not read from our public library's is a bit far fetched in my opinion.

Don't see Overdrive as a problem.

The publishers do limit which books are available on overdrive and libraries pick and choose based on local criteria. Overdrive DID make the decision to hide self-published books behind a special tab. Librarians have to know how to order them and care enough to go look for them (that will please some and displease others).

[Binko]

I went to my local library the other day for the first time in ages. I'd stepped on my cheap kindle and broke the screen. So I thought I'd try paper books for a change. When I was a kid libraries were my main refuge from a difficult home life and I've always been fond of hanging out in various libraries.

I look around and the first thing I see is 3 massive aisles of audiobooks and compact discs. Hundreds upon hundreds of items in an archaic format that nobody cares about any longer. Then I start wandering the book aisles and it's simply depressing. Thousands of bulky, clunky old books just sitting on shelves, the overwhelming majority of which are most likely never checked out.

It was all rather bleak and depressing. To top it all off, I went up to one of the librarians to ask a simple friendly question about my library card and she was taciturn and unfriendly. It reminded me that the librarians were always the worst part of the library.

I ended up checking out a couple of books but found them unreadable. Paper books seem so clunky and heavy and awkward. I can't lay on my side holding them with one hand and flipping pages with my thumb. So I took them back and borrowed my wife's old kindle keyboard model.

My point is that all this stuff should just be digitized and made accessible through a variety of simple devices. So anything that works towards that goal, such as OverDrive, is fine by me.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

The publishers do limit which books are available on overdrive and libraries pick and choose based on local criteria. Overdrive DID make the decision to hide self-published books behind a special tab. Librarians have to know how to order them and care enough to go look for them (that will please some and displease others).

Do you know if I did the Advanced Search > Show All Available (where I can see books Overdrive offers that my library doesn't currently "own") would include the self-pubbed ebooks?

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Do you know if I did the Advanced Search > Show All Available (where I can see books Overdrive offers that my library doesn't currently "own") would include the self-pubbed ebooks?

Not usually if I understand it correctly (from my own librarian). In general I was advised:

One way you can check is to look for a link in
the sidebar called "additional titles to recommend" or something similar--if you check that box it will search the *entire* available catalog including self-published titles. Some libraries have asked to have that checkbox/feature be removed from their particular library so that people cannot suggest books from self-published authors.

So the way I used to find it was to click Advanced Search and then scroll ALL the way to the bottom. At the bottom was a "recommend additional titles" -- if I checked that box and then did a search on my name, my titles would show up. If that box was NOT checked, even if I was under "advanced" my titles would not show up. My library no longer allows a search of those titles, but here is a library that has the checkbox available:

http://kingcounty.libraryreserve.com...ncedSearch.htm

If you scroll to the bottom of that advanced search, you'll see the box I'm talking about. Select the box and then fill out the author or title info. If the book is available for overdrive, be in self-published or not, it should show up. You can then suggest the library purchase said book.

Several of my books have already been purchased by this particular library so they would show up whether the box was checked or not. The box is mainly for those looking for a book that isn't showing up when they want to REQUEST the library buy the book. But some libraries have hidden the checkbox selection so that self-published and other books cannot be suggested for purchase. Some libraries never had the checkbox available (according to a librarian thread I followed it seemed a bit arbitrary whether or not overdrive supplied the checkbox after they took all smashword (and other) titles and put them behind this hidden wall.)

If this is confusing, feel free to ask more questions. It took a few weeks of sleuthing and help from my librarian to figure it all out.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by Binko

I went to my local library the other day for the first time in ages. I'd stepped on my cheap kindle and broke the screen. So I thought I'd try paper books for a change. When I was a kid libraries were my main refuge from a difficult home life and I've always been fond of hanging out in various libraries.

I look around and the first thing I see is 3 massive aisles of audiobooks and compact discs. Hundreds upon hundreds of items in an archaic format that nobody cares about any longer. Then I start wandering the book aisles and it's simply depressing. Thousands of bulky, clunky old books just sitting on shelves, the overwhelming majority of which are most likely never checked out.

It was all rather bleak and depressing. To top it all off, I went up to one of the librarians to ask a simple friendly question about my library card and she was taciturn and unfriendly. It reminded me that the librarians were always the worst part of the library.

I ended up checking out a couple of books but found them unreadable. Paper books seem so clunky and heavy and awkward. I can't lay on my side holding them with one hand and flipping pages with my thumb. So I took them back and borrowed my wife's old kindle keyboard model.

My point is that all this stuff should just be digitized and made accessible through a variety of simple devices. So anything that works towards that goal, such as OverDrive, is fine by me.

Was listening to the Asimov audio book "Prelude To Foundation" and he was discussing a print book with his companion, she was commenting on how old fashioned and outdated they were compared to computerized books. Your comments reminded me of their discussion

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by Geosprouter

I would be very upset if my library quit using Overdrive. I think that Overdrive is a great thing. There are so many factors in book publishing that singling out OD as controlling what we can and can not read from our public library's is a bit far fetched in my opinion.

Don't see Overdrive as a problem.

I'd be very happy if somehow Canada, Amazon and Overdrive could get together and solve the incredibly stupid issue of no Overdrive library lending in Canada on a Kindle device. It's foolish, stupid, hare-brained, half-baked, and vacuous.

At least to me it is.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I'd be very happy if somehow Canada, Amazon and Overdrive could get together and solve the incredibly stupid issue of no Overdrive library lending in Canada on a Kindle device. It's foolish, stupid, hare-brained, half-baked, and vacuous.

At least to me it is.

Totally agree

[Froide]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I'd be very happy if somehow Canada, Amazon and Overdrive could get together and solve the incredibly stupid issue of no Overdrive library lending in Canada on a Kindle device. It's foolish, stupid, hare-brained, half-baked, and vacuous.

At least to me it is.

Not to mention unfathomable, unacceptable, unpalatable, and downright un(North)American.

[AnemicOak]

With the stink that was made by the big pubs, Penguin in particular, I wonder if that's not part of the hold up for Kindle/OverDrive expansion. Remember Penguin stopped doing library books through OD for almost two years after the US Kindle/OD deal. Of course many librarians were against Kindle/OD too, maybe that's a factor in expanding it. I wouldn't be surprised if there were efforts to get it stopped in the US too, but it's harder to stop once it's started.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Froide

Not to mention unfathomable, unacceptable, unpalatable, and downright un(North)American.