NISO/BISG 10th Annual Forum, at the American Library Association 2016 Annual Meeting

Friday, June 24
12:00 P.M. - 4:00 PM, EST

User experience with ebooks encompasses far more than just an interface or an application, and influences patron attitudes towards more than a device or an author; it changes their outlook on the library itself. In the tenth annual Changing Standards Landscape event, we'll examine the full spectrum of the user experience, from patron attitudes toward digital borrowing and reading to privacy and security of patron data, and the increasingly important area of digital-book accessibility standards and best practices.

The Forum will open with a discussion on the findings of a recent joint ALA/BISG (American Library Association/Book Industry Study Group) survey illuminating patron attitudes on digital library usage. Among issues to be explored are formats library patrons, from adults to children, prefer when borrowing and reading books; how often patrons visit the physical and online versions of their local public library; and differences in patron attitudes and behaviors depending on age, gender, geography, and other demographic factors.

During the Forum, we will also take a close look at those less immediately visible elements of the user experience: user-data collection, storage, and use. In a conversation inspired by the NISO Privacy Principles Project, participants will discuss: What user data is being gathered, and by whom? What protections are possible for the behavioral and usage data associated with reader interactions with digital systems? And, what might be the next steps for the community? We'll end the day with an overview of BISG's "Quick Start Guide to Accessibility," focusing on the digital publishing issues that pertain most directly to libraries and patrons.

For more about this event, please visit the event page.