A link to an interesting article has been added to the ebooks page of Local Government Library Technology (LGLibTech) https://lglibtech.wikispaces.com/E-Books#Libraries%20as%20ebook%20publishers

From the article: “As libraries consider the impact/future of ebooks in libraries, so much of that energy is spent on the actions of vendors and publishers. Digitization of local content holds a lot of potential for all libraries. Vendor-driven solutions are expensive and can be overkill for many types of information that libraries might want to digitize and distribute”.

Summing up the value the author writes:

“Developing the skills to digitize, reshape and distribute content has the power to change our thinking with regard to electronic content, leading toward greater independence among libraries. By building projects/communities, we develop expertise in our communities that vendors cannot possess. Libraries of any type possess intimate knowledge of their communities. The system developed in this project has low technological and cost barriers, and represents the first step in the development of an open source publishing model for libraries. A logical next step would be to provide publishing assistance for organizations, families, churches, etc.,”

Most of the’ public library as ebook publishers’ examples are from the US (South Ayrshire being a notable exception). If there are any UK examples do feel free to add them to the LGLibTech page-anyone can add content

Ken

Ken Chad Consulting Ltd Tel: +44(0)7788727845  http://www.kenchadconsuting.com Twitter: @kenchad Skype: kenchadconsulting