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I understand and support publishers expecting an increased price for library e-book licenses, but "in perpetuity" seems to have little value/meaning in the normal usage of a typical library. Most of the popular content libraries provide, and which patrons currently use their libraries for, is not needed in perpetuity. Nowadays the major systems will buy 15-20 copies of a NYT bestseller, keep those in circulation for a year, then de-accession the extra copies when demand dwindles and keep a handful in circulation. I can sort of see these prices for an academic/research library, but for "everyday" public library use this seems extortionate to me. As much as I enjoy the e-book experience and would like to see my library provide it, as a taxpayer I will expect libraries to maximize resources and kick Random House to the curb.
And as FizzyWater states, given that Overdrive already appears on the outs with the Big 6, how much "perpetuity" can be expected from these particular licenses? Again, as a taxpayer I should be able to see some transparency in the contracts my library is executing with Overdrive.
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