News and Announcements 11/23/11

Today’s news includes more on Penguin, changes from Google, a new program from OverDrive and a database collection from ProQuest.

Penguin Restores Kindle Lending, but Still Not Providing Digital Editions of New Titles

Penguin “is temporarily restoring libraries’ ability to loan their e-books for Amazon.com’s Kindle.”  But as a number of commentators have noted, it’s only until the end of the year and does not include upcoming releases.  This article has Penguin’s most recent statement.  Pointed questions about the roles of Penguin, Amazon and OverDrive are being asked in blogs like Christopher Harris’ E-content. See his post “Penguin Week: When Licenses Attack!”

More Google Projects and Services Being Shutdown

INFOdocket reports on and links to a Google blog post “with details about the end of several services and programs…” as well as “details about similar projects or tools the company is working on.”  The post also pays “special attention to the info about Google Search timeline and Knol.”

Now available: eBook Device “Test Drive” Program for Libraries

OverDrive has announced “a program for libraries to support demonstration and lending of eBook reading devices and tablets to their patrons.” The program is called  Test Drive and “includes device recommendations and guidelines for setup, maintenance and support, as well as best practices for institutions that want to stock and lend eBook readers and tablets to patrons.”

ProQuest Business Dissertations and Theses  Now Available on the ebrary Platform

ProQuest has announced “the availability of a new business & economics subscription collection delivered on the ebrary® platform.  With a growing selection of over 2,400 titles in areas such as business administration, emerging
markets, economics, public finance, sovereign debt, and marketing, the new Business Dissertations and Theses Collection enables scholars to mine emerging research from … business schools for new ideas and comparative study.”