News ALA Report 2012 ‘At an upbeat conference, the e-book issue simmers. ‘was an upbeat annual conference for che American Library As- sociation ia Anaheim, Calif., highlighted by che awarding of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excel- lence, che ALA's first-ever book award for adule fiction ‘and nonfiction, But wich the release of a new Pew report and a piloe project an nounced by Penguin, the issue of library e-book lending loomed large over the meeting ‘Anecdorally, librarians and publishers dad high praise for che conference, which featured a serong slate of auchors and speakers, By the numbers, however, the meeting was a more modest affair, ALA officials reported 20,134 attended the conference, oughly lac with the 20,125 in New Orleans last year. Still, given the fiscal straits facing many libraries and chae attendance always dips when the meeting is on che West Coast, not a bad showing. The good news: che show returns co Chicago next year, wher record-setting, 29,000 attended in 2009, “Friction” Alchough e-book lending was certain to be a copic of conversation at the conference, it was made even more relevant with ewo new developments— an announcement by Penguin of a new e-book pilor project wich the New York Public Library, and a report on libraries and e-books from the Pew Incernet and American Life Project ‘The Penguin news certainly added a buzz co the conference, Under its pilot with vendor 3M, Penguin plans ro make A z. ANAHE is e-books available co NYPL and the Brooklyn Public Library (Queens is also hoping to participate) fora year, wich a few notable restrictions—eurrene titles would be embargoed for six months, and books would expire after one year. While the official ALA line hailed the move as “an important development,” libsatians on the show floor were less enthused about the program’s proposed restrictions The Pew report, meanwhile, was welcomed by librarians for offering something much needed: data. “The new repore underscores that libraries continue o be a vital part of people's lives in che digital age,” said ALA president Molly Raphael. “The double and triple-digit _groweh libraries have reported in demand for e-books, desire for access to e-book readers, and requests for e-book: reader assistance and classes clearly express @ hunger for these services.” The report, however, also “flags issues that demand attention,” she added. “Libraries cannot lend what they canoe obtain, I Research Cencer’s Internet and American Life Project, hosted a 90-minute session in Anaheim worchy of a keynore- engaging, and laden wich meaty data about people's digieal behavior. He also said chat Pew, with support from the Gates Foundation, would conduct Rainie, director of che Pew PUBLISHERS WEEKLY m JULY 2, 2012 Booklist’: Bill Ou; RUSA’s Susan Horn Random House, accepting on behalf of Robert Massie; and award chair Nancy Pearl Jennifer C further seudy on the “evolving role of Libeaties” in che coming months, E-reading “is caking off because ce-reading gadgets” are taking off, Rainie said, yet “the gadget doesn’t make the reader.” In fact, Pew daca shows e-book readers ate not “format snobs” and happily use digital, prine, and audio. Rainie also emphasized that library e-book borrowing has gained a foochold, even though just 12% of adult e-book readers say they have borrowed an e-book from a library in che past year, and 62% said they did not know theie library even offered e-books. E-book borrowing clearly holds a “whopping upside,” Rainie said, adding thac che Pew daca showed library users are big book buyers, The major publishers, of course, are not quite convinced updating efforts of che ALA’s Working Group on Digital Content, co-chairs Robert Wolven (Columbia University), and Sari Feldman (Cuyahoga County Public Library) reported chat ralks wich the big six houses were ongoing and urged patience, But in the q&a period, 2 librarian from Sweden stirred the pot when she noted thar in Sweden, librarians had juse lefé rhe cable, breaking (off negotiacions with Swedish publishers .withoutan agreement over e-books. ‘Another questioner asked what was sobad about incorporating “friction” into e-lending models, as publishers desire, for example making pacrons physically come ¢o che library co download e-books? “Nothing ac all,” replied Gluejar's Brie Hellman, “excepe people are not stupid.” He later clarified chat remark, explaining that e-book readers understand chat e-books ate differene from print books, and library pacrons havea right coexpeccall the convenience and benefits of e-books, rather than be saddled wich artificial, analogue-cra The Incernet Archive's Pecer Brancley ( PW contributing editor) urged librarians to remain focused on the bigger pieture—not just the current discussions with che big six. He said librarians must not be passive—more ‘han jusc saying whac chey won't accept, he said, “I would like to see us be more activein defining ehe conversation, He also cautioned hae the issue is bigger than che big six, or the smaller indie publishers libraries have successfully worked with. The e-book marker is Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Googl Rakuean, Microsofe, he noted, and includes 1 “burst of independently published e-books” chat libraries have no way co ge “The e-book universe is accening and getting ever more diverse,” he cautioned, would not like t0 sce world of e-books fractionated across vendors, where ‘Amazon as some scuff, and B&N has some stuff chat no one ese has.” He also reminded libraries chae publishers were not che only way co ger co e-books —authors, for example, are also in che mix. He urged libraries to “engage with auchors aboue shaping conceaces wich publishers chae mighe beaefic libeaties: “All we tend ¢o think about are the rights given co us by publishers, but that’s nor all che world, Panels and Awards By most accounts, the Auditorium Speaker Series was one of the best in years, featuring a vibrant mix of forward~ looking chinkers and legendary figures, including journalist Rebecca MacKinnon, Intemec philosopher David Weinberger, literary heavyweight John Irving, and veeran news anchor Dan Rather, While e-book lending grabbed che headlines, MacKinnon kicked off ALA by addressing an often overlooked aspect of the digital revolucion: privacy and censorship issues. A former bureau chief for CNN in Beijing and auchor of Consent ofthe Networked (Basic Books, Jan, 2012 MacKinnon asked libeatians 0 consider to what excent technology can be apolitical, “The relationship beeween citizens and government is increasingly mediated through che Incernet,” she explained, “so, how do we ensure chis layer of technology ‘we depend upon for our business, our education, our love lives, and our political lives remains neural?” John Irving captivaced a standing- room-only auditorium. Before reading a ‘passage from his lacesc novel, In One Person (S&S), which tells the story of a bisexual man whose first crush is on his town’s transgender librarian, Irving answered ‘questions e-mailed by readers: “Have you ever had sex witha man?” "Nox knowingly,” THE WEEKLY SCORECARD Tracking Unit Print Sales Total Print Units (in thousands) 5% ny essere [ITErkdaide ac ore WES, UNE, IGE 8 GE ‘mimes! wax Adult Nonfiction §— 4,415 4,075 8% = -14% ‘Adult Fiction 3,292 3267 1-14 Juvenile Fiction §— 2,702 2,509 7 3 Juvenile Nonfiction § 65674614 3 Wierda ek) WMEZE, WNEZS,XOKGE CGE ani 2a” Week nb Hardcover 2,090 2,457 -9% — -3% ‘Trade Paperback 6186 6752 0 10 Mass Market Paperback 1,613 1,299 19-24 Board Books 236 2568 2 ‘Auio 15 (98 7 8 WWW. PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COMIrving replied, He gave the apc audience a rare glimpse {nto one of our most popular swricers. “Ll One Person isn’ he Giese novel I've wriccen about sexual mists,” Irving said. “I chink all writers are actracted co outsiders, because thar’s who we Pethaps che most anticipated program of the conference, however, came Sunday night, acareception emceed by Seale librarian (and PW columpist) Nancy Peatl, where the firstever Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence went (0 Irish novelist ‘Anne Enright for her novel The Forgotten Waltz (W.W, Norton) and Robert K. Massie, in nonfiction, for Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (Random House) Alchough neither winner could attend, all of the six finalists submicced warm remarks aboue the award and abouc libraries. James Gleick, nominated for The Information A History, a Theory, a Blood (Pantheon), delivered his in person, as did Russell Banks, ‘nominaced for Last Memory of Skin (Beco). Sadly, Manning Marable, nominated for Maleoln X: A Life of Reinvention (Viking), died on April 1, 2011. Marable’s editor, Kevin Doughten, stood in with an emotional cibuce, Fiction finalise Karen Russell, nominated for Swamplandia! (Knopl), thanked librarians with a charming video from her hotel room in Germans, telling the crowd she wrote the book largely av che New York Public Library Banks, however, offered che most stirring words of the night. He said his nomination was an honor because the award was “authenticated” by arians,"and he called libraries “che connecting tissue becween weicers and che world,” more so than bookstores, reviewers and critics, or academia, “Even more,” he said “than publishers themselves—as muchas I ike my own.” ‘Chartered wich a granc from che Carn- cegie Corporation of New York, hopes are that the Carnegie Medals will grow in stature to chat of the ALA's Youth Media ‘Awards, where the Newbery and Calde- cote are che most prestigious for chil- dlren's books —and may be che mostcom- mercially influential of any book award. “Toward chat goal, ALA executivedirector Keith Fiels said che Carnegie Corpora ton has vested the award with something more valuable chan its money—che Carnegie name, —Andrew Albanese Educational Publishin; The New Wild West espite efforts to digitize the classic cextbook, higher educa- ‘ion is moving beyond e-cexts toward the integration of giant educa tional publishing platforms with univer- sity networks co create aone-stop incerac- tive educational environment chat sup- plies almoseeveryching a studenc needs While firms like digical publisher Inkling, educational tech company Kno, and others, are reinventing the textbook forthe iPad, rhe abilicy of scalable online learning placiorms co lower costs overall, while improving learning outcomes could be the wave ofthe future Amazon.com, Apple, Microsoft, Google, and a host of educational scarc- ‘ups “are all paying atcencion ca che edu cation market. There are lors of big play- crsin the markee now,” said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart, one of these giant educational platforms. CourseSmart isan educational copublishing vencure chac includes the biggest cextbook houses in the industry, such as Pearson, Cengage Learning, McGraw-Hill, Macmillan Higher Learning, and John Wiley. In an interview at che PIV offices, Devine called the currene higher educa tion marketplace “the Wild West.” While be acknowledges the importance of the iPad, he also pointed ou chat less than 10% ofthe U.S. student populacion has che device. “Most kids are sill using lapeops and desktops. The marker goes farbeyond che iPad,” Devine sad. ‘CourseSmart has more than three mil- lion registered users (faculty and scu- dlents) on its placform, and che company ‘Amazon Bids ‘On Dorchester Dorchester Pub- lishing, moribund formonths, is likely tobe ac- quired by Amazon, which has made a bid to acquire its assets. Amazon willacquire 1,900 [ News Briefs | activetitiesand | HMH Outof will pay all out. Chapter 41. standing oyaties | Houghton mitnin fowedto Dorches- | Harcourthas com- terauthors. Ama | pletedits restruc ronhasalso said | tuingandemerged ‘tallonlytake au | from Chapter 1. thors whowishto | HMH president bepublishedby | and CEOLinda K. the etailer/pub- | Zechersaid HMH lisher. now has “signift PUBLISHERS WEEKLY @ JULY 2, 2012 cantylessdebt,a | spitting tseifinto muchimproved | entertainment and balance sheetand | publishing compa- capital structure, | nies. HarperCol- andthe financial | tins wiljoin the strengthtoinvest | publishing group innew products.” | alongside News Co1p. newspaper News Corp. interests suchas Restructures | the Waistreet News Corp. is contin on page