This past summer has been a rough one for libraries that offer eBooks.
In case it didn’t come across your newsfeed, some of the biggest publishers in the country decided to make some changes in how they sell eBooks to libraries. And boy howdy! They did not do any favors for librarians or library eBook users. This goes for all the eAudiobook lovers out there, too.
The way in which libraries have to buy and lend eBooks is very different from how we buy and lend regular print books.
Here’s how it works in Dauphin County.
With a regular book:
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We can buy as many copies as we need.
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We can get books on the shelves the same day they are released in stores.
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We can keep checking out a book until it falls apart – some stuff still looks good after 20 years and 100 borrows!
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Because we buy so many books each year, our suppliers give us a discount.
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Since we’re not paying full price, our money goes even further and we can buy even more books!
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People can donate books to the library.
With Overdrive eBooks:
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Sometimes we’re only allowed to buy one copy. We have to wait several weeks before we can buy extra copies to fill holds.
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Sometimes we can’t buy an eBook on its release date. We have to wait several weeks to buy the first copy.
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We are often limited in how many times we can check out an eBook.
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Sometimes these books “expire” after 1 or 2 years.
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Sometimes these books “expire” after 26 or 52 borrows.
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Publishers charge libraries way more for eBooks and eAudiobooks than the general public.
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People cannot donate eBooks to the Library.
With Hoopla eBooks:
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We have unlimited copies of all their titles, but…
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The Library has no say in which titles Hoopla offers. They pick everything, and it changes based on their contracts with publishers and distributors.
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The library pays Hoopla every time something is borrowed.
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Every checkout costs us between $1-3, depending on how popular it is.
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The library had to set up limits so that we weren’t spending all our money on Hoopla.
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We allow Hoopla to charge us ~$250 per day.
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If you try to check something out after we’ve hit that daily spending limit, you won’t be able to. You’ll have to try again the next day
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So what happened this summer?
There is no industry standard eBook pricing model for libraries. Publishers are currently allowed to set up whatever rules they want. And many of them made changes this year that will strain libraries and frustrate the people who use library eBooks.
Simon and Schuster – who publishes authors like Stephen King, V.C. Andrews, Cassandra Clare, and Karen Kingsbury – used to sell libraries eAudiobooks that would never expire. Now they will expire after 2 years.
Hachette – who publishes authors like James Patterson, Elin Hilderbrand, Donna Tartt, and Michael Connelly – used to sell library eBooks and eAudiobooks that would never expire. Now they will expire after 2 years.
Macmillan Publishers – who publishes authors like Kristin Hannah, Louise Penny, and Lisa Scottoline – announced that starting November 1, libraries will only be allowed to buy one eBook copy of their books for the first two months of its release. In Dauphin County, we would usually buy several copies so that you don’t have to wait as long to read or listen to the book.
Blackstone Audio – who records bestselling audiobooks for several publishing houses – banned libraries from purchasing their newest books until 3 months after they’ve been released. They are choosing to make them exclusively available to Audible customers for that time.
Will this affect me?
If you borrow any sort of eBooks from the Library, it probably will.
eBooks and eAudiobooks are some of our most popular materials, and their popularity is only growing. We want to spend our money on what you want to read and listen to. But publishers are not making that easy on our tight budgets.
In the current environment, you may experience:
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Longer waits for eBooks and eAudiobooks
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Brand new eAudiobooks missing from the catalog
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Less variety with new materials, as we’ll have to choose between new books and rebuying older popular titles that have expired
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Smaller back-catalog of older books, since we can’t afford to rebuy everything every two years
Can I do anything to change this?
Absolutely!
Keep using the Library!
Every visit, every borrow, every question you ask adds to the mountain of evidence that libraries are not obsolete entities of the past. If we are valuable to you, keep using our services!
Donate!
As we mentioned, you cannot donate your old eBooks to our collection. But if you want to keep seeing new titles and old favorites in the eBook catalog, you can donate money specifically for our eBook collection. You can donate online and specify “eBooks” in the comments field.
Get noisy on our behalf!
If you don’t like that these publishers are making things harder for us, tell them! Contact them directly. Call them out on social media. Get your friends and family involved in the conversation. Here are links to their websites:
You can sign the American Library Association’s online petition against Macmillan’s embargo on library eBooks.
While not eBook specific, you can also contact your local, state, and national politicians. Tell them libraries are important to you! Tell them libraries are worth their money. Tell them your library makes your community a better place. If the people who make decisions about library funding haven’t visited one in years, they might have no idea.
The Library will always advocate for your right to read whatever and however you want. We will also do our best to give you as many options as possible with our limited resources. We welcome you adding your voice to our cause.