by Rita Baladad
Quick Summary
The shift to ebooks has wrought many changes in the library market. Most of them haven't worked to our advantage. But there are some interesting new business models.
The shift to ebooks has wrought many changes in the library market. Most of them haven't worked to our advantage. But there are some interesting new business models. In this webinar, presenter James LaRue focuses on a company called Total Boox, which allows for unrestricted downloads, multiple use at the same time, no holds, no waiting, for all titles. How do they make money? The library pays only for what gets read (not what gets checked out). But this means that libraries (and publishers) get a rich new source of data: what percentage of books do people actually finish? Does it vary by genre? What might this mean for collection development?
Presenter:
James LaRue writes, speaks and consults about the future of libraries, with a focus on organizational and leadership development. As the former director of the Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries, he established a library managed ebook content delivery platform that garnered international attention. He is also author of "The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges" (Libraries Unlimited, 2007).
