Part of the reason for leaving libraries out is that publishers are concerned about piracy and another part is simply not wanting to make something available for free when they would rather you pay for it.  Some publishers, particularly in the case of Penguin, do not like the delivery model OverDrive offers our library customers – they believe it is too easy and want more barriers in place for downloading eBooks and audiobooks from the library and have been particularly dissatisfied with the model of downloading to Kindles.

We think libraries should be able to buy eBooks from all publishers, just as we can in the print world, and we also think it should be easy for our customers to check them out.  What do you think?  You can contact the publishers mentioned above directly and let them know you think libraries should be able to buy their eBooks; just look below for addresses and additional contact info.

CONTACT INFO
You can find up-to-date addresses, phone numbers, and often executive names for U.S. businesses by using ReferenceUSA (scroll down the alphabetical list to locate it). This is a database the library subscribes to that you can access from home with your library card. It’s a very powerful tool that I encourage you to take a look at!

Macmillan Publishing
75 Varick Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 226-7521
customerservice@mpsvirginia.com

Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
(212) 698-7000
http://simonandschuster.com/about/contact_us

Hachette Book Group
466 Lexington Avenue #131
New York, NY 10017
(212) 364-1100
customer.service@hbgusa.com

Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 366-2000
ecommerce@us.penguingroup.com

Brilliance Audio
1704 Eaton Drive
Grand Haven, MI 49417
(616) 846-5256
libsales@brillianceaudio.com

WEBSITES & ARTICLES

Could Ebooks Kill Off Our Libraries? Publishers Show Security Concern
This title is a bit alarming, but it definitely represents the concerns libraries have over not having access to eBooks. If we do end up an all-eBook world, libraries need to be a part of it!

Digital Public Library of America
Providing access to books, no matter who publishes them or what format they are in, is a top priority for libraries because we believe that all citizens, regardless of social standing or economic status, are entitled to the pursuit of knowledge. The DPLA is interested in creating a national digital library that would purchase and supply eBooks to libraries. If such an organization existed, local libraries could potentially get access to eBooks from the DPLA rather than a for-profit company that only allow us to purchase licenses to eBooks that we will loose whenever the contract ends, is terminated, or the company becomes defunct.

Ereader Clinic, February 22nd, 11:00am-1:00pm
We help people here at CBCPL download eBooks and audiobooks all the time on the reference desk, but we also try to host regular eReader Clinics where folks can drop in with their eReaders or tablets and get a good overview and/or troubleshooting help on using the Library2Go service. Come on down during our clinic next week or ask a librarian anytime the library is open for help with all things eBooks and downloadable audiobooks.

Ebook Publishers Want Library Borrowing to Be Difficult
This article from PCWorld describes Penguin Group’s decision regarding eBooks for libraries.

Gaiman on Copyright Piracy and the Web
Neil Gaiman has found that more people buy his books in countries where piracy is highest. He began asking audiences how many discovered their favorite authors by borrowing a book and how many discovered their favorite authors by going to a bookstore and buying a book; he’s found that only 5-10% answer the latter. We believe that libraries create lifelong readers and book buyers – have you ever purchased a book you’ve checked out from a library?

Notice to Publishers: Curse Your Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal
A LOT of librarians like to blog, but Librarian In Black is a particularly popular blog by Sara Houghton. This post from her blog inspired us to want to inform our public too of the publishers that will not cooperate with libraries.

Publishers vs. Libraries: An E-Book Tug of War
An article from the New York Times that discusses the rift between libraries and publishers on eBooks.

Posted by Bonnie, a second floor librarian

Our focus will be getting new device owners up to speed with our ebook collection through Library2Go! We would love to have you bring your device with you and attend either hour (11:00 AM or 12:00 Noon).  Our patient librarians will be “standing by” to help you maneuver the ins and outs of downloading and enjoying library ebooks! If you need help before then, try our ebook help pages. See you on the second floor.

Posted by Christopher, a second floor librarian

Image credit: kodomut

It’s time now to book your January appointment with a librarian for basic computer help.  Click here for more information.

The library will be open during the holidays except for two days, Monday, December 26th, and Monday, January 2nd.

Happy holidays from the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library!

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

Image credit: packages by grabadonut on Flickr

Or, are you thinking of buying one for a special someone over this holiday season? Do you have a sneaking suspicion you might receive one as a gift?

Our last ereader/ebook clinic was such a success, we scheduled another for this Friday, December 16th, from 11am – 1pm in Conference Room C on the 2nd floor.

We will have a variety of gadgets* for you to try and we’ll be there to answer your questions. Just drop in – the event is informal and driven by your needs.

If you can’t make this session, you can still stop by and talk with us in person or ask questions via phone (541-766-6793), chat  or email.  You can also check out our ebook page for more details.

* Gadgets include: Amazon Kindle, Kindle Fire, Apple iPad and iTouch, Samsung Galaxy tablet, SONY Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook and Nook Color, and a Kobo Reader.

Posted by Lindy, a second floor Librarian

Image credit: Mike Licht

Despite the fact that there are a lot of books with waiting lists in our collection, there is good news for Corvallis-Benton Co. library card holders.  We are purchasing additional copies through the Advantage program, so there are copies reserved just for CBCPL patrons.   When you go the Library2Go website, be sure to log in with your library card number before you start to browse or search.  This way you will see more copies available to check out.  I just searched for available ebook titles, and as of this moment, there are copies of books by popular authors such as Stieg Larsson, Harlen Coben Patricia Cornwell, Jodi Picoult and Maeve Binchy.  Also available is one of my favorites: this year’s Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.

Questions?  Contact us at the Reference Desk at 541-766-6793

Posted by Carrie, a second floor librarian

Image credit : “Reading my Kindle in the hammock” by CreativePenn Flickr

However tall the mountain : a dream, eight girls, and a journey home / Awista Ayub.

Describes how the Afghan-born author flourished throughout her upbringing in America thanks to organized athletics, her founding of the Afghan Youth Sports Exchange for Afghan girls after the fall of the Taliban, and the personal stories of eight young soccer players. [Also available as a downloadable ebook]

Born to run : a hidden tribe, superathletes, and the greatest race the world has never seen / Christopher McDougall.

McDougall reveals the secrets of the world’s greatest distance runners–the Tarahumara Indians of Copper Canyon, Mexico–and how he trained for the challenge of a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of super-athletic Americans. [Also available as a downloadable audiobook or ebook]

The real all Americans : the team that changed a game, a people, a nation / Sally Jenkins.

Journalist/author Jenkins revives a forgotten piece of history and crafts an inspirational story about a Native American football team that is as much about football as Lance Armstrong’s book was about a bike. If you guessed that Yale or Harvard ruled the college gridiron in 1911 and 1912, you’d be wrong. The most popular team belonged to an institution called the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

Dead lucky : life after death on Mount Everest / Lincoln Hall.

Outlines the dramatic 2006 survival story of a famed Australian mountain climber who was pronounced dead and abandoned by Sherpas during a climb of Mount Everest only to be discovered alive the next day.

Posted by Lindy, a second floor librarian

Image credit: Morning by h. Koppdelaney on Flickr

If you dropped by Friday but still have questions, or, if you missed the session, we are still available to talk with you.  Feel free to contact us in person, by phone, email, or chat.  And stay tuned for announcements about another clinic!  If you have comments and/or suggestions about improving the clinic, please let us know!

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Library, we are happy to present a free concert by classical guitarist John Jarvie.  The concert will be on Thursday evening, November 10 at 7:00 pm.  Click on Corvallis Program 2011 to see the songs and composers he will be playing.

At noon on Wednesday, Gary Whitehouse will review Willy Vlautin’s novel Lean on Pete as part of Random Reviews.

On Wednesday, November 16th at 7:00 pm, Oregon hiking guru William Sullivan takes us on a tour of his favorite hikes and adventures in all parts of the state, recommending top trips for every month of the year. Based on his new book, Oregon Favorites, the show includes tips on new trails, as well as anecdotes about history, geology, wildlife, and people along the way.

On Friday, November 18th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm we’re having an ereader drop in session just for you to ask your questions about library ebooks and ereaders.

All programs are free and open to the public.  All programs, (except for the ereader clinic, which will be in Conference Room C on the second floor) will be held in the Library’s Main Meeting Room.  Please call 541-766-6793 for more information.

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

Image credit

The event is informal and driven by your needs – just stop by Conference Room C  on the second floor of the library any time between 11:00 and 1:00 on the 18th and librarians will be available to answer your questions about ebooks and ereader gadgets.  Bring your own gadget or try out one of ours.  We’ll have several different types of ebook readers on hand including Sony Readers, Nook, iPod touch, Kindle, and Entourage Pocket Edge.

At this question and answer session, you will be able to:

- Ask questions regarding different types of ebook readers
- Learn more about ebook readers in general
- Learn about downloading ebooks and audiobooks from Library2Go to read on your laptop, ebook reader or other compatible gadget

If you can’t make this session, you can still stop by and talk with us in person or ask questions via phone (541-766-6793), chat  or email.  You can also check out our ebook page for more details.

Posted by Lindy, a second floor librarian

Photo credit

Dracula by Bram Stoker
Take a bite out of the Twilight series by sinking your teeth into this literary work, very loosely based on the life of Vlad the Impaler. Listen to the dramatized LibriVox audio book.

Fall Of The House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe
A classic Poe short story. The quintessential Gothic, haunted house tale! Watch the surrealist silent film from 1928.

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Be afraid of doctors that keep to themselves… Listen to the LibriVox audio book.

The Monkey’s Paw by William Wymark Jacobs
Beware of what you wish for in this short story. Listen to a Radio Drama of the story.

Shapes in the fire by M. P. Shiel
Shiel was an early master of the supernatural novel. This is a fine collection of creepy short stories. My favorite is Vaila. In addition, I’d recommend the PDF version for the drawings and original formatting.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
A story of split personality and a potion that brings out the worst in a certain benevolent Doctor. Listen to the LibriVox audio book.

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe (contained in the Collected Works of Poe)
Another great Poe short story. “I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this.”  Listen to this and several other Poe classics.

Posted by Christopher, a spooky second floor librarian.