The Open eBook Forum, the trade and standards association for the eBook industry has formed the Library Special Interest Group to better enable the eBook industry to push their wares to librarians.

The Open eBook Forum said the group meets on a weekly basis via conference calls and maintains communication through an email list. Participation in the group is currently open to the public and further information can be found on the Open eBook Forum website.

The group is chaired by Pamela Smith, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Baker & Taylor and Loree Potash, Marketing Director at OverDrive. "One of the most promising things about the SIG is that we have a place, early on in the incorporation of the eBook business models being introduced into libraries, to address any issues that could possibly stand in the way of eBooks being successful in libraries," stated Pamela Smith. "There are a lot of questions and newly discovered business problems and it's terrific so many of the concerned parties can come together and work through them."

In addition to the Library Special Interest Group, the Open eBook Forum, in conjunction with the American Library Association, said they are developing a survey called eBook Usage in Libraries. One of the first goals of the Library SIG will be to develop the survey methodology, oversee the distribution of the survey and analyze and publish the results.