[OPLINLIST] Overdrive limitation coming

[Jimmie Epling]

The two stories below have interesting implications for the future of Overdrive and its ability to provide e-books to libraries.  Are we looking at a McNaughton model for e-books now where we buy several copies initially to meet demand and then maintain one or two copies for the long term?  Will such retailers as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble do the same to libraries who buy copies for e-readers they may loan?  It is too early to tell if this will work for HarperCollins.

HarperCollins recently announced that of the 150 titles on its spring audio list, only two are being published on CD; the rest are being released as digital downloads.

It is clear HarperCollins is rethinking its publishing practices in light of the digital download age and how it can continue to stay in business.  Libraries will have to adapt to these changes.

Jimmie

Publishing Industry Forces OverDrive and Other Library eBook Vendors to Take a Giant Step Back (Yesterday I received an email from OverDrive with an attachment titled "OverDrive Partner Library Update from Steve Potash", I glanced at it and filed it away in my to-read pile for a later date (which honestly means I may never have gotten to it). This morning Heather Braum brought it to my attention via this post by Joe Atzberger. The contents of this document are spun in a positive way and there are some great things coming from OverDrive, but in between the good news is some bad news, some really bad news. The first bit - ownership of ebooks will now expire after a certain number of check outs to patrons. Libraries may no longer own them forever and ever.  This is unbelievable! And a huge step backwards in lending rights and library access. The second bit of bad news - publishers want to meddle in your library card policies.)
Librarian by Day Blog. February 25, 2011.
http://librarianbyday.net/2011/02/25/publishing-industry-forces-overdrive-and-other-library-ebook-vendors-to-take-a-giant-step-back/

A Limit on Lending E-Books (A print book can be checked out of a library countless times, at least until it falls apart and needs to be replaced.  What about an e-book? HarperCollins, the publisher of Michael Crichton, Sarah Palin and Dennis Lehane, said on Friday that it had revised its restrictions for libraries that offer its e-books to patrons. Until now, libraries that have paid for the privilege of making a publisher's e-books available for borrowing have typically been granted the right to lend an e-book - say, the latest John Grisham thriller - an unlimited number of times. Like print books, e-books in libraries are lent to one person at a time, often for two weeks. Then the book automatically expires from the borrower's account. HarperCollins said on Friday that it had changed its mind. Beginning March 7, its books may be checked out only 26 times before the license expires. "We believe this change balances the value libraries get from our titles with the need to protect our authors and ensure a presence in public libraries and the communities they serve for years to come," it said in a statement. The policy does not affect books already licensed by libraries. Steve Potash, the chief executive of OverDrive, a provider of e-books to public libraries, said HarperCollins was the first publisher to limit how many times an e-book may be checked out. The announcement was a reminder of the publishers' squeamishness over having their e-books available in libraries. More people are using libraries for e-reading, a practice that does not require visiting a library in person, and is possible on many electronic devices, including the Nook and the iPad. While hundreds of publishers make their e-books available to libraries, at least two major publishers, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan, do not. Librarians fumed about the limit, complaining that it would require them to pay more for HarperCollins's books when budgets are being cut.)
New York Times. February 27, 2011.
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/a-limit-on-lending-e-books

Jimmie Epling
Director
Wayne County Public Library
304 N. Market Street / P.O. Box 1349
Wooster, OH 44691
O: 330.262.0986 / 330.804.4702  Ext. 7022
C: 606.923.1576
jepling at wcpl.info<mailto:jepling at wcpl.info>

"A different world cannot be built by indifferent people."


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