Been there. Done that. Some years ago I cofounded a noncommercial startup called LibraryCity—the same name as this Web site—to try to get millions of books online.

We ran into a little complication: Google’s book side blew us away. LibraryCity did prod the International Digital Publishing Forum into getting serious about e-book standards, by way of ePub. But as small-fry, not wired into the worlds of the super-rich, big business, foundations, and national politics, we lacked the clout to promulgate our own standards and build the digital library.

Now another grassroots startup, Library Renewal, led by Michael “Library Man” Porter, wants to create a library system online to give libraries a better deal than OverDrive is. I wish Michael all kinds of luck, and meanwhile here is my advice. Keep plugging away, but don’t do it without cooperating closely with the Harvard-hosted Digital Public Library of America on a common infrastructure, and share lots of content in both directions. Library Renewal and other public library organizations could still have their own system focused on the community library needs online and offline, while the DPLA or a spin-off concentrated on an academic system.

Here are a few other talking-and-thinking points for both Michael and John Palfrey (photo), his DPLA counterpart—timely concerns right now. Leaders from both are at the Public Library Association gathering in Philadelphia. If they don’t meet there, I hope they’ll connect via phone and the Net and meanwhile ponder such matters as:

1. The need to avoid the wrong kind of entrepreneurial zeal. One reason Michael isn’t cooperating closely with the DPLA is that he feared he and colleagues would have to sign over their work to Harvard. I don’t know all the details. But both groups should think as little as possible in proprietary terms about ideas and technology, while still giving conspicuous credit through personal and organizational mentions. Whatever the case, try not to replicate Silicon Valley’s ego-and-tech wars. I love the DPLA’s goal of keeping code and metadata and other technology open and hope that this approach will persist. Will Library Renewal make the same commitment?

Please note that the right kind of entrepreneurial spirit could help immensely—see LibraryCity’s post headlined Toward an e-library ecosystem: Public libraries will screw themselves if they don’t learn from Amazon’s comprehensive “seamless approach.” That was, of course, a response to the famous “Libraries are screwed” comments of Eli Neiburger, a Library Renewal board member. No, they needn’t be! Libraries are about much more than just books, but they’re the main brand, and I even want libraries to remain in the bestseller business: nurture writers, hire experienced editors, and grow your own hits! I also want libraries to come up with apps and technical standards that will help people with different e-reading devices synchronize “last-page read” and the rest as smoothly as the Kindle does. Commercial in some ways? Yes. But not obnoxiously so. And the commerce would be just a means, a helpful revenue stream, not the reason to exist.

Furthermore, there should still be a place for for-profit bookstores and publishers. I’d love to see the library system—simply by serving America’s e-libraries and patrons—help publishers significantly grow revenue. Respect healthy diversity, not just of content but of business models!

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