DPLA + Ebooks

This post originally appeared on DPLA's blog on May 15, 2017

By DPLA Ebook Consultant Micah May, Director of Business Development and Senior Strategist Michele Kimpton and Ebook Program Manager Michelle Bickert

This is the second in a series of posts about DPLA’s ongoing work to maximize access to ebooks. Check out the first post in this series introducing our plans and learn more about the Sloan Foundation grant funding this work.

At DPLAfest this past April, the DPLA Board of Directors approved a plan to move forward with an ebook pilot aimed at improving access to a broad selection of open and licensed ebooks through market-based methods. We at DPLA are evaluating what we could potentially do from a community and technology perspective to help libraries maximize patron access to ebooks and other e-content. Through the pilot, set to launch in early fall, DPLA will manage technology solutions for 3-5 large public libraries and consortia.

First, some background: US libraries began providing ebooks through OverDrive in 2004. Since then, library ebooks have been provided through siloed, vertically integrated systems in which users can discover and borrow books from a given vendor only in that vendor’s website and apps. In 2012, a group of frustrated library leaders mobilized to form Readers First to fight for a better user experience for their patrons. This grassroots movement has advocated with some success for more open systems and empowered libraries to demand more from e-content vendors. These innovative, library-driven efforts have also led to multiple IMLS-funded grant projects moving us closer to the vision of a national digital platform.

DPLA’s approach to help libraries maximize access to ebooks and other e-content is to work with technology providers, publishers, distributors and public libraries to offer a comprehensive technology solution managed by DPLA. The first component of the solution addresses content acquisition. The second is a curation portal that serves as a circulation manager based on the Open Publication Distribution System (OPDS). We believe helping US libraries move to OPDS-based distribution could greatly expand access for patrons. OPDS is a simple, elegant syndication format based on Atom and HTTP.  It allows libraries to use a standard protocol for the aggregation, distribution, discovery, and acquisition of electronic publications.

Our hope is this solution will enable libraries to move to an open, OPDS-based service architecture without deploying additional software or incurring costs beyond content and DRM fees. Libraries would be able to merge content from various sources, including popular publisher content and free, open content curated by DPLA and others in the community, and serve it through curated user interfaces to drive deeper discovery and thus more use of existing collections.

We will continue update you on our progress with pilot libraries, and related DPLA + Ebooks projects. We will also be sharing our vision for open access content, publisher relationships, and community engagement in future blog posts and announcements.

Questions? Email us.

This post originally appeared on DPLA's blog on April 4, 2017

By DPLA Ebook Consultant Micah May and Ebook Program Manager Michelle Bickert

As part of its core mission of maximizing access to our shared culture, the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is working to expand the discoverability, accessibility, and availability of ebooks for the general public. At DPLAfest 2015, many of you joined us as we began a deep exploration of the ebook space. Two years later, and with additional support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, we are taking elements of that work forward.

We are exploring how DPLA may be able to broaden access for users by helping libraries move to an open service architecture. What does maximizing access to ebooks look like? Facilitating discovery of free, open content; unlocking previously gated content through new licensing and/or access models; and facilitating better purchasing options for libraries.

Our vision is to

• Help libraries find and serve more open content, including open textbooks and other open educational resources (OER).
• Merge content from multiple paid sources on a single platform and consolidated user interface.
• Curate content to drive discovery and use of more of libraries existing collection.
• Experiment with new types and sources of content including local publishing.
• Empower DPLA to work directly with publishers to secure new and better terms for libraries that will allow them to provide more access at a better value.

While we explore innovative methods to advance the library ebook ecosystem, we’re also making familiar content new again. We are developing a substantial, free, and open collection of widely-read and widely-held ebooks, with a goal of improving discoverability through metadata and curation. Interested in helping? Check out our survey on open content, and watch for a later post for more.

These efforts complement DPLA’s ongoing work in the ebook space as a partner on the Open eBooks initiative. During its first year, K-12 children in need across the United States and its territories downloaded over one million popular and award-winning ebooks for free, without holds.

In the coming weeks we will be sharing more about this ongoing exploration. If you’re joining us in Chicago for DPLAfest 2017, we have two full days of ebook discussions. We invite you to join the conversation. Stay tuned for more updates on DPLA + Ebooks.

Originally posted on DPLA's blog on January 13, 2017

The Digital Public Library of America is thrilled to announce that the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded DPLA $1.5 million to greatly expand its efforts to provide broad access to widely read ebooks. The grant will support improved channels for public libraries to bolster their ebook collections, and for millions of readers nationwide to access those works easily.

DPLA will leverage its extensive connections to America’s libraries through its national network to pilot new ways of acquiring ebook collections. In the same way that DPLA has worked with its hubs in states from coast to coast to improve access to digitized materials from America’s archives, museums, and libraries, DPLA will collaborate with other institutions to improve access to ebooks through market-based methods.

As part of the grant, DPLA will also develop an expansive, open collection of popular ebooks, formatted in the EPUB format for smartphones and tablets, and curated so that readers can find works of interest. Together, these programs will increase substantially the number of ebooks that are readable by all Americans, on the devices that are now broadly held throughout society.

“From its inception, DPLA has sought to maximize access to our shared culture,” Dan Cohen, DPLA’s Executive Director, said at the announcement of the new Sloan grant. “Books are central to that culture, and the means through which everyone can find knowledge and understanding, multiple viewpoints, history, literature,  science, and enthralling entertainment. We deeply appreciate the Sloan Foundation’s support to help us connect the most people with the most books, which are now largely in digital formats.”

“The Sloan Foundation is delighted to support the Digital Public Library of America’s efforts to create new channels for better ebook access,” said Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Sloan was the founding funder of DPLA and its mission, enabling a nationwide, grassroots and non-profit collaboration that to date has provided access to over 15 million digitized items from over 2,000 cultural heritage institutions across the U.S. With its timely new focus on ebooks, DPLA will leverage its national network to expand reading opportunities for thousands of schools and libraries and millions of students, scholars, and members of the public.”

The Sloan grant will help DPLA build upon its existing successful ebook work, such as in the Open eBooks Initiative, which has provided thousands of popular and award-winning books to children in need. Recently, DPLA announced with its Open eBooks partners the New York Public Library, First Book, Baker & Taylor, and Clever that well over one million books were read through the Sloan-supported program in 2016.

Originally posted on ReadersFirst.org by Michael Blackwell

ReadersFirst has had a look at the SimplyE app.  A big thanks to James English of New York Public Library for the preview. [Full disclosure: James is a participant in the ReadersFirst Working Group)

SimplyE (or SimplyE for Consortia) is the name of the app promulgated by the Library Simplified project, funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and NYPL, with Minitex providing matching dollars (and much more!). RAILS and the Massachusetts State Library will help develop and implement the app, with many partners and further support from the Library E-Content Access Project in collaboration with the Digital Public Library of America.

This library version of a Supergroup has asked the question, dear to the hearts of ReadersFirst: “What would make the library easier to use?” Their answer is to build the library app we’ve all been waiting for:

·         Works across content provider platforms that provide APIs (note to providers—get those APIs in order if you want to be in the game)

·         Open source, allowing for continual improvement

·         Brandable—libraries can use their own graphics

·         Easy to use—just enter a library card number go, with no need for DRM signup (though DRM is working in the background) and with a full range of accessibility features

·         Easy to integrate into existing library systems, providing a gateway to all eContent and even the whole catalog

·         Ultimately able to access content from a public library domain and maybe even a nonprofit content exchange, with deals struck with publishers at terms favorable to libraries

Although the app is still in development, ReadersFirst has been able to get many questions answered in its first look at the Android app.

Is it easy to start? Oh, yes! Enter the library card number and pin and it fires up. No need for DRM or emails here. It is the easiest start for any library eBook app.  

Does content really come with three clicks or less? Yes. The app is set up for browsing, with the main categories being Best Sellers, Staff Picks (a great way to feature less well-known but significant titles), Fiction, Non-fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Nonfiction, Children and Middle Grade, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Other Languages. Libraries can of course adjust these shelves. Readers may enter keywords in a convenient search box. Swipe left to brose titles and touch “More” at the end of a row to keep browsing. One may sort by author, availability, or collection (“Everything,” “Main, ““Popular”) Titles have a small box next to them that says “Get” or “Reserve” (if not available due to publisher one book/one reader licensing). Touch your title and it downloads. Next one sees two boxes that say “Read” (with a listing of how long is left on the loan) or “Return Now.” (One may also “Report and Issue.”) Touch “Read” and the book opens.

Does it work across platforms? ReadersFirst seamlessly got content from OverDrive, 3M, and Project Gutenberg (that content may be kept perpetually). Touch on a book cover to see the vendor it comes from, along with a plot synopsis ad reviews.

Is it easy to adjust font and background color or navigate within the book? Yes. Buttons in the upper right allows easy adjustments of font size, screen color (white, black, sepia), and font type (including OpenDyslexic), and screen light level, plus hyperlinks to chapter starts (RF might suggest a keyword search option). Font sizes can get very large indeed.

Can one easily manage one’s account from the app?  A “bookshelf” icon on the upper left gives access to “Catalog,” “My Books,” “Reservations,” “Help,” and “Settings.” Touch the cover of a title in “My Books” and get the option to read or return. “Reservations” lists the titles on which one has a hold. “Help” actually is helpful, with the ability to request support or many topics for any potential trouble-shooting or questions one might have.

Are there any other cool features RF hasn’t explored? We haven’t reviewed the accessibility features, but the wide adjustability of fonts should be very helpful. The apps control buttons may be read aloud and should offer access for the visually impaired. There’s a lot going on “behind” the app, including interesting metadata harvesting and Readium/EPUB 3 to make titles visually appealing and functional.” Ultimately, the app will be useful for academics, with “citations, group annotations, and embedded assessments.” EAudiobooks wil be supported. Look here for some FAQs. Development is by no means done, and libraries are encouraged to participate to help perfect it.

What’s the Verdict?  This app promises to revolutionize the library eBook experience. Its functionality realizes the goals for which ReadersFirst has been advocating for years. We wish it every success. We’ll post more as its features develop and we get to do more testing. How far it goes, however, is very much dependent upon libraries and librarians. If enough of us get behind it, its use becomes common, and the non-profit marketplace that might develop becomes scalable, we may all benefit from a versatile and easy-to-use app that can even save us money on material budgets. Why not get interested and involved? The future is waiting, if we make it so.

Michael Blackwell for RF and St Mary's County Library

By Former user (Deleted)

Read the original at ReadersFirst.org

ReadersFirst has advocated for a better experience for library users in accessing all of a library’s offerings, including physical materials, eBooks and digital audiobooks, databases, programs, and more. Queens Library, a member of ReadersFirst, has developed a Virtual Library System that takes into account ReadersFirst principles and provides users with as close to a one-stop experience as we’ve seen. In 2012, Queens Library received 5,000 Google tablets after Hurricane Sandy damaged much of the library’s service area. The library developed an interface and discovery layer for the tablets that allowed library customers to access library programs and services from home. After developing the interface for the tablets, Queens Library set out to develop an app that could be used by all library customers to access the library’s programs and services on their own devices.

Currently, the app provides a more seamless process for checking out digital content. Library customers log in and are able to search all of the library’s digital offerings at once. Checkout happens without changing platforms. If the user already has the appropriate app (Blio, OverDrive, Zinio, etc.) installed, that app can be opened directly from the Virtual Library to read the content. Although the library catalog itself is not the platform for digital checkouts at this time (catalog search is also available through the app, but checkout of digital content is not available through that interface), the single search and checkout for digital content is certainly a step forward and one for which Queens Library is to be commended. 

Queens Library is working to further develop the Virtual Library System, and is engaged in conversations with vendors and NISO to develop mobile application intents and API specifications that could allow even more content to be distributed through a single platform.

For more information about the Queens Virtual Library System, including the feature set and timeline, visit http://virtuallibrary.queenslibrary.org/  

Sara Stephenson, St. Mary's County Library for ReadersFirst

By Former user (Deleted)

AT ALA Midwinter, Carolyn Anthony (Dir, Skokie Public Library), co-chair of ALA's Digital Content Working Group (DCWG), shared news that in DCWG's recent talks with three of the "Big 5" publishers,  the idea of a limited simultaneous access model was broached. For a short period of time, and on a limited important topic such as public health (i.e. Diabetes or Heart Health Awareness), might a suite of non-fiction library eBooks be made available to all who wished to access them without the waiting queue that can make library eBooks cumbersome to access? And for the first time ever (at least for more than a single and usually not well-known title), the publishers did NOT say "no."

Carolyn emphasizes caution. The publishers did not say "yes," either. They asked, however, how the model might work and seemed open to talking.

While hardly a breakthrough moment, then, this conversation is significant.  Perhaps it is a first step towards developing a business model (subscription? pay-per-use?) that will allow for simultaneous access to high-demand titles by library eBook readers. We thank DCWG for their careful and thoughtful advocacy. Their diplomatic approach is slowly reaping benefits. ReadersFirst has long advocated a business model that would eliminate eBook reserve queues. We welcome any developments that would move greater access forward and hope publishers will continue to come to the table with open minds.

Thanks for the news, Carolyn!

Michael Blackwell, St Mary's County Library, for RF

What do you think? Is a per-per-use or subscription model ever going to viable or even desirable? Is anything likely to come from this sort of approach to the publishers?  Please share! 

DPLA is now seeking session proposals for DPLAfest 2016, taking place on April 14-15 in Washington, DC. An annual series of workshops, presentations, and discussions, DPLAfest brings together librarians, archivists, and museum professionals, developers and technologists, publishers and authors, educators, and many others to celebrate DPLA and its community of creative professionals. The hosts for DPLAfest 2016 include the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Smithsonian Institution.

As in 2015, DPLA will set aside time to discuss the current landscape for library ebooks, and use this convening to continue shaping a national, library-led strategy. DPLAfest will also host the second LEAP partner face-to-face meeting for 2016. 

If you have session ideas for ebook programming, or any other topics you would like to contribute, please submit a proposal by January 22, 2016. 

For more information, visit http://dp.la/info/2015/11/19/call-for-dplafest-2016-session-proposals-now-open/

Please contact Michelle Bickert if you have any questions.