1. The E-Book Ecosystem:
Where do Libraries Fit?

2. The Happy Reader Equation
Author (Creator)
Agent (Negotiator)
Publisher (Editor, Marketer, Promoter, Producer)
Wholesaler (Disseminator)
(Recommendor) Retailer (Seller)
Happy Reader

3. The Happy Reader Equation
Author
Agent
Publisher
Wholesaler
Retailer
$$ - ££ - €€

4. The E-Book Happy Reader Equation
Author (Creator) (Editor, Marketer, Promoter, Producer)
Agent (???)
Publisher (Recommendor)
Wholesaler (???)
(Disseminator)
(???) Retailer (?)
(Negotiator)
Happy Reader/$$

5. Consumer Change

6. Siege Mentality
Author
Agent
Publisher
Amazon Happy Reader/$$
Wholesaler
Brick &
Mortar
Retailer

7. Siege Mentality
Author
Agent
Publisher
Amazon Happy Reader/$$
Wholesaler
Brick &
Mortar
Retailer

8. Publisher, Reader. Reader, Publisher.
Publisher This is a new,
uncharted Happy Reader/$$
relationship
Needs Promotion
previously
met via Discovery environment
narrowing Social engagement
retail
channel: Data

9. Publisher, Reader. Reader, Publisher.

10. Breaking Through the Clutter
Author
Agent
Publisher Happy Reader/$$
Wholesaler
Brick & Mortar
Retailer

11. What do Libraries Offer?
Engaged
Relationship Happy Reader/$$
Curated Promotion
Looks a lot
Discovery environment
like what
publishers Social engagement
need, right?
Data

12. Here’s What One Library Offers

13. NYPL’s experience

14. What we offer today:

15. Ebooks.nypl.org

16. Ebooks.nypl.org 2-Year Usage
90000
80000
Year 1: 365,315 Checkouts from 28,085 unique users Holiday Bump 2012
70000 Year 2: 602,766 Checkouts from 47,211 unique users
60000 Kindle
50000
40000 Holiday Bump 2011
30000
20000
10000
0

17. Can you spot the controversy?
Beyond library
collection
Adverts
Amazon
friendly
Retail

18. New Norms
Ratings
Social networking

19. Retail Affiliates

20. Retailer-agnostic

21. Adding Value to the Equation
Author (Creator)
Agent (Negotiator)
Publisher (Editor, Marketer, Promoter, Producer)
Wholesaler (Disseminator)
(Recommendor) Retailer (Seller)
Happy Reader

22. Cementing Our Spot in the Equation

23. Nypl.bibliocommons.com

24. Nypl.bibliocommons.com
Patron to patron
engagement
Behavior checks
Curatorial expertise exposed

25. User Contributions Welcome

26. User Contributions Welcome
“didn’t
love, love, love it.”
“Love, love, love
this book!”

27. General Principles for E-Content
Strategic Vision
Unavailable content
E-Literacy
•Control
•Completeness Devices
Silo hopping the
new navigation? •Choice
•Competition Are Marc Records in
the Catalog enough?
Customer support •Compatibility
Local Content
Epub, Apps, Streaming….
Is a remote platform that carries your local logo and color scheme
enough to serve your strategic direction?

28. E-Literacy: How to open a book?
This is instinctive This is not … (yet)
Images: The New York Public Library

29. A fussy discovery tool

30. Access: How easy is it to find?
In physical world, we bring together In the e-content world, there is as yet no
many items into a single access point: single shelf or type of access
the shelf
Images: The New York Public Library

31. Do the usual rules apply?
A Twitter patron has
asked if they can
renew an e-book.
Images: The New York Public Library

32. E-Literacy: How to use a book?
Images: The New York Public Library

33. General Principles for E-Content
Strategic Vision Local Content
E-Literacy fostered
Discovery across silos All titles available
•Control over our relationship with our users & where they go
•Completeness of discovery environment
•Choice to mix & match platform, content, device, & discovery
environment—offer unbundled alternatives to turn-key’s
•Competition should be encouraged, content contracts not
exclusive
•Compatibility of content – should be neutral of device or app
& vice versa
Epub, Apps, Streaming…. Cross-patron engagement
Consistent customer Catalog is more than Marc
support Records

34. This is Extremely Valuable Stuff

35. The Happy Reader Equation
Author (Creator)
Agent (Negotiator)
Publisher (Editor, Marketer, Promoter, Producer)
Wholesaler (Disseminator)
(Discovery agent)
(Curatorial Promoter)
(Performance Measurer) Retailer (Seller)
(Partner)
(Intellectual Home)
Happy Reader

36. Christopher Platt
Director, Collections and Circulation Operations
christopherplatt@nypl.org