Scribd Adds 30,000 Audiobooks

Good news for those who like not to read their books, but to listen to them.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the streaming subscription service Scribd is adding thousands of audiobooks to its catalog — 30,000, to be exact. The new books will include old and new releases from some of the more well-known publishers and authors, including Scholastic and HarperCollins and Haruki Murakami and Suzanne Collins.

Before the addition, Scribd’s catalog included more than half a million titles.

But according to The Verge, that catalog was only made up of e-books, not audiobooks. The hope is that the company will be able to compete now with Audible.

Reader Leaves $6M to NYPL In Will

Well, one thing’s for sure. Lotte Fields certainly loves the library — so much so that she left $6 million to the New York Public Library in her will.

According to The New York Times, the 89-year-old woman died last year, but had been an avid reader and frequenter of the New York Public Library. Fields inherited her wealth from her husband’s family, which had a long history of wool merchants.

Her executor said she spent most of her weekends reading with her husband. The library president said she donated to the library over the years, so this final — and massive — donation came as quite a surprise … but a good one.

The donation will be evenly divided between he branch library system and the main building, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street.

More Library Hours in California

Not too long ago, it seemed more and more libraries were reducing hours or closing altogether. But thanks to Governor Jerry Brown, that is changing — at least in California.

According to Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Central Library and seven others have restored Sunday hours. In 2010, a $22 million budget cut forced all branches of the Los Angeles Library system to cut Sunday and Monday hours and eliminate 328 full-time positions.

In 2011, Monday hours were restored, and now Sunday hours are back. People were critical when the system initially cut Sunday hours because Sunday is one of the library’s busiest days of the week.  And there’s even more good news for  libraries in California — Gov. Brown proposed $3.3 million for library funding in this year’s budget. The money will be put toward connecting public libraries to the state broadband network.

Cuts, Moves, and Downsizing at NYC Libraries

Yet again, another sad story about libraries losing funding — and this time, it’s regarding one of the most well-known libraries worldwide, the New York Public Library.

According to The Screwy Decimal, a blog written by a public librarian from Brooklyn, New York City’s preliminary budget is proposing a 35% cut in library funding, the largest funding cut that NYC libraries have ever faced. The $106.7 million library budget could result in slashing library hours in half, eliminating almost 1500 jobs, and closing more than 60 libraries.

This comes just after news broke that the Brooklyn Public Library (which is included in the New York City Library System) would be selling its two libraries — one in Brooklyn Heights and one in Boerum Hill. According to NYC real estate site The Real Deal, the library in Brooklyn Heights will be sold, with the lower floor remaining a library and the upper floors being converted into apartments. The library in Boerum Hill will be relocated to an as-yet unnamed space, set to open in 2016. It will remain open in its current location until the new space is ready.

With all the moves, cuts, and closures, it’s obvious that libraries aren’t able to offer what they once did simply because of financial restraints. And it’s a shame because with the economy the way it is, and with libraries advancing in a technological capacity, library usage is on the rise. If my library closed or cut hours, I would be devastated. Thoughts?

 

Libraries Adjust to Loss of Bookstores

As bookstores continue to flounder, libraries are now making it a point to take advantage of the moment and roll with the times.

According to The New York Times, libraries are realizing that print is coming in second to digital. As a result, libraries are now offering more e-books and technology options (like more space for computers within the library walls). But libraries are also making more of the big bestsellers available, and then selling them for a reduced price when the library starts to carry the books in excess. Karen Ann Cullotta explains.

At the bustling public library in Arlington Heights, Ill., requests by three patrons to place any title on hold prompt a savvy computer tracking system to order an additional copy of the coveted item. That policy was intended to eliminate the frustration of long waits to check out best sellers and other popular books. But it has had some unintended consequences, too: the library’s shelves are now stocked with 36 copies of “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Of course, librarians acknowledge that when patrons’ passion for the sexy series lacking in literary merit cools in a year or two, the majority of volumes in the “Fifty Shades” trilogy will probably be plucked from the shelves and sold at the Friends of the Library’s used-book sales, alongside other poorly circulated, donated and out-of-date materials.

With less waiting and larger scale sales down the road, libraries are becoming more and more like bookstores. And in a post-recession age when people are willing to do most anything to save a buck, why not? Why pay for a book when there’s a magical little place in your hometown that will allow you to take it home for free?

These are moves that libraries hope will increase foot traffic and users. Do you think they will?

Library Offers Pole Dancing to Attract Visitors

Would you be more inclined to go to your local library if it offered pole dancing classes? Well, apparently people in Scotland are!

According to The Huffington Post, one local library is offering the class on “Love Your Library Day” and are calling it “pole fitness.” Why? Well, the library officials hope it will attract more customers. That’s one way of doing it!

But it does seem to be part of a trend of libraries offering very un-library-like things just to get people to walk through the doors. Some have opened bookstores within the libraries. Others are offering bookless libraries. In other words, they’re more like media centers that act as supplements to libraries.

I understand that libraries need to keep up with the times and continue to serve the people, especially if they want to keep receiving funding from the government. But on some level, I’ve got to wonder — can’t we just let libraries be libraries?

What do you guys think? Would YOU sign up for a pole dancing class at your local library?

Prank Pushes Lance Armstrong Books To Be Classified as Fiction

If it turns out that lies were hidden behind many of Lance Armstrong’s successes, does that mean the nonfiction books published about him now become re-classified as fiction? No, not according to one library in Sydney, Australia or the National Library, for that matter.

According to Huffington Post, someone posted a prank note at Sydney’s Manly Library that said “All Non-Fiction Lance Armstrong Books, including ‘Lance Armstrong – Images of a Champion’, ‘The Lance Armstrong Performance Program and ‘Lance Armstrong: World’s Greatest Champion,’ will soon be moved to the fiction section.”

Photos of the note quickly went viral, and librarians at Manly insist the note is just a prank. Apparently, no one can re-classify a book’s genre without changing the ISBN number issued by the National Library.

Alas, Lance Armstrong’s book will remain in the nonfiction section. But will it always? And how much does it really mean when readers know the book consists of untruths? Either way, it’s a pretty hilarious prank if you ask me. Thoughts?

In Memphis, Library Cards as Voter IDs

Election Day is just a few days away, and with the scrutinizing media coverage of this year’s Presidential race, excessive political ads, and controversial debate over various states’ voter ID laws, most of you are probably sick of the election, and it hasn’t even started yet. But here’s an interesting story you probably haven’t heard.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled just last week that in Memphis — and Memphis alone — voters can use their Memphis library cards as voter ID for the election.

According to Huffington Post, Tennessee passed the Voter ID Law earlier this year, requiring people to show a state or federal issued form of identification on Election Day. Passports, driver’s licenses, and state-issued handgun permits are all acceptable. Republicans claim the Voter ID Law will prevent voter fraud. Democrats claim it’s just a way to deter typical voters from voting.

Memphis filed a lawsuit against the law in July, stating that the law would prevent people with other forms of ID from voting. After a long back and forth between courts, the Tennessee Supreme Court finally ruled that library cards would be an acceptable form of ID.

Suddenly those library cards hold a lot more meaning, no? Maybe it’s time to renew yours…

Study Shows E-Book Library Borrowing Isn’t Popular

One of the things I’ve always loved about libraries is that you can read for free. That’s the point, right? Since I was a little girl, I have been a huge supporter of the library. So when it came time for me to get an e-reader, I wanted the Nook, the only one  — at that time — that could download e-books from the library.

But according to the Associated Press, a recent Pew Research Center study shows e-book library borrowing is not very popular. Here are the reasons why:

1. People don’t know if their libraries offer e-books for download.

2. Libraries offer a limited selection of e-books.

3. The e-books are not offered in the available format for a particular e-reader.

4. Some publishers don’t make their e-books available at libraries because they’re scared it will hurt sales.

Though I love borrowing e-books, I think these are pretty valid complaints, except for #1. (I’m sorry, but if you’ve got an e-reader, one of the first things you should do is find out if your library offers e-books. And these days, most do.) The limited selection of e-books — whether it’s the library’s or the publisher’s fault — is a major issue. Finding an e-book you want at the library is extremely difficult because there aren’t many titles, and of the ones that are available, there’s typically only one copy, forcing people to go on a waiting list sometimes for weeks. Not to mention, if a publisher offers its print books in the library, there’s no reason not to offer its digital copies. Overall, this study is not very surprising, but brings up good points.

What do you guys think?

Penguin Publishing To Offer E-Books at NYC Libraries

As e-book sales continue to rise, e-book borrowing is not as popular. Some of that is because publishers fear that offering their e-books in libraries will stagnate sales. Such is the case with Penguin Group USA.

But now the company is changing its tune. According to The New York Times, Penguin will begin offering e-books to New York City libraries through a new pilot program next month. If successful, the program will expand to libraries throughout the country.

The program, in conjunction with 3M, will allow library users in several boroughs to borrow e-books on compatible devices. New titles will not be immediately available. There’s no word on how long the pilot program will last.

Despite their concerns about diminished sales, I still think offering e-books in libraries as well as bookstores is a move in the right direction. Whether they like it or not, e-books are the way of the future, and it’s important for publishers to be ahead of the curve. What do you guys think?