Hoopla is working to remove AI-generated books from its platform, which provides ebooks to libraries, 404 Media reports. According to an email the company sent to libraries, they have removed some publishers and authors that provide “poor-quality and/or poor-quality AI-generated content.” They also told librarians that they are removing all summary titles “with some exceptions” (like CliffNotes), updating their “collection development policy to ensure we adhere to and evolve with industry best practices,” and giving librarians the option of contacting Hoopla directly.
Libraries
IPG to Offer Client Digital Product to Libraries for Perpetual Access
Independent Publishers Group (IPG) has paired with the Digital Public Library of America to offer “tens of thousands of ebook and audiobook titles” from a number of their publisher clients for outright purchase and perpetual access, rather than time- or usage-limited access. IPG recently sold their digital distribution business to Bookwire. Clearly welcomed by libraries, unfortunately the announcement engages in inflammatory and disingenuous rhetoric. They claim that, “Since the advent and spread of digital content, libraries have only been able to license ebooks and audiobooks from publishers and aggregators with no option to buy, trapping libraries in licensing agreements where […]
NYPL Tries New “Orphan” Works Workaround
The New York Public Library has developed a novel, permission-based approach to try to bring potentially in-copyright “orphan works” of scholarship back into general availability. The problem, as they have identified through a variety of efforts, is that often neither the author not the publisher is certain whose permission is needed to digitize and make available out-of-print or otherwise commercially dormant books that may still be covered by copyright. And the expense — and potential liability — of doing the research or granting permission without certainty about the rights makes the risks outweigh the potential benefits of agreeing to republication. […]
This Is How Real Libraries Work Diligently to Preserve and Provide Out-of-Print eBooks, Legally
This article from a University of California digital librarian describing efforts from the New York Public Library is a wonderful counterpoint to the huffery and puffery from the Internet Archive. The NYPL is actually doing the hard work of complying with the law and working with creators and rightsholders, and innovating on everyone’s behalf along the way, while also managing to digitize and lend legally a corpus of works. Renata Ewing writes: “NYPL’s approach is to work collaboratively with authors and publishers to secure licenses to permit patrons to access in-copyright out-of-print works without impacting the commercial value of those […]
HarperCollins Tests OverDrive’s Bulk Loan Bundles for “High-Demand Titles”
In these charged times, Overdrive has unfortunately timed a press release to the London Book Fair that should matter most to the US library market, giving some context to the contentiousness over publishers’ business relationships with library ebook lending. One strain of that dialog asserts that there is only one basis on which publishers license ebooks to libraries, while the marketplace has implemented a number of approaches to balancing libraries’ needs and budgets. In the announcement, Overdrive celebrates having launched a six-month pilot program with HarperCollins for over 150 “high-demand titles” in their OverDrive Max program that lets libraries “purchase […]
ALA Report: Book Ban Attempts Almost Doubled in 2022
The American Library Association released a new report on Thursday about the total amount of attempted book bans and restrictions in 2022, which they say almost doubled from the previous year. The AP writes, “More than 1,200 challenges were compiled by the association in 2022, nearly double the then-record total from 2021 and by far the most since the ALA began keeping data 20 years ago.” The ALA’s findings are based on media reports, as well as accounts from libraries, and they say “the numbers might be far higher.” Rather than attempting to ban or restrict access to one book […]