The latest change in the library ebook marketplace, Random House’s steep rise in its ebook prices—initially said to be as much as 300 percent on some trade titles—may be even more devastating than the 26-loan cap imposed by HarperCollins last year on ebook circulation.
Public Library Association Conference
Coverage of the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia, PA, March 13-17, 2012, and related stories.
Library Jobs in the New Society | Blatant Berry
By on April 2, 2012
When governments run the corporations, it is communism. When corporations run the governments, as Mussolini showed us, it is fascism. To keep our society between and away from those extremes, we need a humane, socially, politically, and economically responsible entrepreneurial capitalism. That is a paraphrase of some of what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in his keynote speech at the recent conference of the Public Library Association (PLA) in Philadelphia. I didn’t record his exact words, but that is what I took away.
Brodart Strikes a Distribution Deal With UK Furniture Company
By on March 26, 2012
Brodart has formed an exclusive North American distribution agreement for a popular line of display library furniture from the UK.
Best Small Library of the Year Reception Honors 2011 and 2012 Winners and Finalists
By on March 21, 2012
Who’s Who at the Best Small Library in America Awards | PLA 2012 LJ feted the 2011 and 2012 winners of the Best Small Library in America award, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia during the Public Library Association Conference. On hand to celebrate were the winners from [...]
Exquisite Informational Immersion: Fusing the Visions of Readers’ Advisory and Technologist Librarians | PLA 2012
By on March 19, 2012
PLA has been my favorite library conference since I attended my first in 2010. I relished the show’s focus—the granularity and prescriptiveness of its sessions; the moxie and optimism of its presenters. I bonded with a group of Connecticut librarians I now call friends, and I met a future Multnomah County mover who would become [...]
We’ve Got the Beat: Music Advisory in Public Libraries | PLA 2012
By on March 19, 2012
All libraries offer music CDs, but very few finesse their music collections with the same vigor as spent on books. At the Public Library Association gathering in Philadelphia, Librarian Pete Lewandiski and Collection Development Librarian Penni Speets of the Kent District Library, MI, provided a primer on music advisory explaining why libraries should offer it as a standard service, historic and current trends, what individual staffers can do personally, and what the future holds.
That Sound You Hear? It’s The Library World Changing
By on March 17, 2012
At my first ALA conference, I attended a “marketing” session that swooned over shoelaces as a great word of mouth marketing technique. At this PLA the marketing tracks focused on measurement, datamining, focusing our story on a few key messages and redefining how we go to market. Hallelujah!
Program-Palooza! Rundown in Brief | PLA 2012
By on March 17, 2012
Did You Miss the #PLA12 Unconference? | PLA 2012
By on March 16, 2012
