No Shelf Required 3: The New Era for E-Books and Digital Content

by Mirela Roncevic (Editor), Peyton Stafford (Editor)

Overview

Many claim that the presence and importance of e-books in the library world have reached a saturation point, but the truth is that experimentation with new models, as well as refinement of existing ones, continues apace. Delving into the latest developments among the varied players in the e-book marketplace, including publishers, libraries, and vendors, the latest volume in the best-selling No Shelf Required series is written from a strong international perspective. Such cutting-edge contributors as Michael Blackwell, Mary Minow, Neil Butcher, and Tonya McQuade discuss a range of groundbreaking initiatives that tap into the potential of digital content to be omnipresent. Positive, uplifting, instructive, and goal-oriented, this volume’s coverage includes

• the DPLA national e-book platform;
• ReadersFirst, a movement to improve e-book access from libraries;
• the AudiobookSYNC project, a free summer audiobook program for teens;
• using e-books to teach poetry and publishing processes;
• the Multnomah County Library Library Writers project;
• the Internet Archive and e-books; and
• e-books and sustainable literacy in Africa.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780838917695
Publisher:	American Library Association
Publication date:	12/22/2025
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Mirela Roncevic has served as a consultant for a range of publishers and libraries and partnered with companies creating new digital opportunities for publishers, authors, readers, educators, and librarians. She has also contributed articles, reports, book reviews, and short stories to numerous magazines and has served as managing editor of several book series and journals. Editorial Director of No Shelf Required, an award-winning portal on e-books and digital content, she is also the founder of the One Country, One Library initiative, which supports the creation of national libraries that provide free access to books and other content to all people inside a country’s borders for the purpose of bridging digital divides, equalizing access to education, enabling reading, and spreading literacy.

Peyton Stafford writes the Indies in the Library™ column for No Shelf Required. With many years of experience in publishing for libraries, he has worked in sales, marketing, editorial and executive positions with publishers and distributors that provide print and digital information resources to libraries of all kinds. He also provides consulting services to publishers and authors. His previous positions include Vice President Corporate, Government, and Publisher Relations, Total Boox; Associate Director Learning Solutions, Rosen Publishing Group; Director of Global Library and Institutional Services, ReadHowYouWant; and Vice President Library Services, Userful Corporation.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I    Groundbreaking E-Book Projects and Initiatives

Chapter 1    Douglas County Libraries and the Making of a Good (Early) E-Book Product
James LaRue and Monique Sendze
Chapter 2    The Digital Public Library of America and the Building of a National Platform for Library E-Books
Micah May
Chapter 3    The Internet Archive’s Open Library Project and Its Global Significance
Mary Minow
Chapter 4    Croatia Reads: How a Small Country Became a Big Virtual Library
Mirela Roncevic

Part II        New Technologies, New Opportunities

Chapter 5    Digital Disruption and the Quest to Achieve Global Literacy
Neil Butcher, Lisbeth Levey, and Kirsty von Gogh
Chapter 6    The Era of Indie Authorship, Self-Published E-Books, and Emerging New Roles for Public Libraries
Peyton Stafford
Chapter 7    The Library Writers Project: Multnomah County Library’s Model for Building a Collection of Local E-Books and Promoting Them to Patrons
Kady Ferris
Chapter 8    Publishing a Class Poetry E-Book: A Teacher’s Use of Technology to Make Poetry Exciting and Relevant for Students
Tonya McQuade
Chapter 9    Reading by Ear: AudiobookSYNC’s Mission to Support Teen Literacy with Digital Audiobooks
Francisca Goldsmith
Chapter 10    From Book to Game: Gamification and the Birth of a New Literary Form
Peyton Stafford

Part III    The Digital Issues That Matter

Chapter 11    Readers Come First: An Advocacy of a Better Digital Experience
Michael Blackwell
Chapter 12    The Long and Winding Road to DRM-Free E-Books in Academic Libraries
Mirela Roncevic
Chapter 13    Watching You Watching Me: Preserving Reader Privacy in the Age of Digital Surveillance
Mirela Roncevic
Chapter 14    Digital Publishing Is Dawning in Africa, but Don’t Forget the Printed Book Quite Yet
Scott Walter and Charles Temple

Part IV    The Evolving Business of E-Books

Chapter 15    E-Content Is Growing, While Academic Libraries Are Shrinking: How Did We Get Here?
Michael Zeoli
Chapter 16    When Demand Drives the Purchasing of E-Books in Libraries, Do Library Users Get What They Need?
Mirela Roncevic
Chapter 17    Selling E-Books in Bulk: What’s the Deal with Big Deals?
Mirela Roncevic
Chapter 18    E-Books in Schools: Pros and Cons of the Leading Business Models for K−12 Education
Peyton Stafford
Chapter 19    Balancing Act: A Public Library’s Strategy to Invest in Multiple E-Book Platforms
Tom West with Lisa Loranc
Chapter 20    Blockchain Technology and the Potential of the Used E-Book Market
Peyton Stafford

Appendix: Company Directory
About the Editors and Contributors
Index