How to donate an ebook to a library

[abookreader]

Originally Posted by spec

... or it can be donated to any library at any point after purchase similarly to what is possible and legal to do with paper books. I really hope that is only because the technology needs to catch up, not because publishers intend to make the licenses for ebooks more strict compared to paper versions.

John Sargent's (CEO Macmillan) view on Library ebooks

"That is a very thorny problem", said Sargent. In the past, getting a book from libraries has had a tremendous amount of friction. You have to go to the library, maybe the book has been checked out and you have to come back another time. If it's a popular book, maybe it gets lent ten times, there's a lot of wear and tear, and the library will then put in a reorder. With ebooks, you sit on your couch in your living room and go to the library website, see if the library has it, maybe you check libraries in three other states. You get the book, read it, return it and get another, all without paying a thing. "It's like Netflix, but you don't pay for it. How is that a good model for us?""

However, you can get Macmillan audiobooks via Overdrive including the Mother of All Macmillan cash cows - The Stephanie Plum series. I don't think anybody has ever asked Sargent to clarify why he differentiates the Overdrive model between audio and text. I'd be interested in hearing him try to explain it.

[batgirl]

John Sargent also shows he is clueless about the library model.

(1) Just like the pbook model in libraries, ebooks mostly circulate 1 copy, 1 loan at a time. (Whether or not this should be the model is a whole can of worms that I won't open here.)

(2) Ebook library collections are limited to library cardholders. I know that there are some libraries out there that have reasonably priced "out-of-district" library cards available for purchase but this is the exception, not the rule. And in my system, where you can get either a reciprocal library card or purchase an out-of-district card, this card has a different barcode that will not authenticate for our Overdrive lending library.

(3) That publishers make their money on libraries reordering used and torn books. As a librarian in charge of our collection, I can tell you (a) that the vast majority of books can circulate way more than 10 times and still be in good condition, and (b) I actually replace very few worn titles. But as a library, I am a big buyer of publishers' mid-lists and giving lesser known authors a chance to be read.

(4)Many public libraries already have a "netflix" model for pbooks, at least for homebound patrons, where they deliver the book to the patron's home and the patron sends it back.

(5)Sargent is just plain stupid to make enemies of librarians, who in the overall picture, increase access to the product he is selling.

[spec]

Batgirl I agree with you.

Just to add to it: equivalent for reasonably priced "out-of-district" cards for local residents are part of their taxes. so both in-district and out-of-district patrons pay. if netflix was able to grab a chunk of our taxes it could also be free. So the fact that there's no money exchange happening at the time of checkout doesn't mean that it's free.

As far as Mr Sargent's question on business model, perhaps he should take a closer look at founders of google - they practically became billionaires overnight by giving things away for free.

[SensualPoet]

I think this is a really, really great idea -- I'd be happy to donate e-books to the Toronto Public Library that I'd just as soon buy anyway. (Even if there is a premium to pay, maybe it's a tax deductible gift?) Like anything from Ian Rankin or Canadian Louise Penny or Robert B. Parker. But so much of their stuff, although available as e-books, isn't on Overdrive.

And what about specialist collections -- like the mysteries by gay authors Josh Lanyon, Robert Stevenson or Dorien Grey? Suddenly, does US religious politics drive the choice for Canadian libraries?

What I am trying to understand is: are libraries which use Overdrive limited to whatever content Overdrive deems acceptable? Or can a library buy anything they want and simply use the Overdrive system to manage the lending / DRM process?

Thanks for this post. I'm on the Friends of the Library committee for my local library, and even if online lending using Overdrive is run at a statewide system here, I well definitely bring this up at our next meeting. One of the primary things we are interested in is getting more young people interested in reading and the resources at the library. This is a great additional avenue to do it given how Internet and computer directed so many of them are.

[SameOldStory]

Double thanks!

I just checked with my local library and it now caries ebooks!!!

Originally Posted by spec

Hello,

I thought I'd give it a try for 2 reasons: I check out ebooks from my local library quite frequently and I thought that instead of buying an ebook for myself (which I'd probably read only once), I should be able to buy the ebook for the library and check it out from the library whenever I want, but additionally library would share it with others.

spec

Make that a triple thanks.

Anyone have a golden Franklin award to give to spec?

[FizzyWater]

This is way, way cool! Thanks for sharing, and I'm going to check with my library to see if they'd accept them like this, too.

[nikkie]

Thanks so much for this post. It's too bad the process isn't more stream-lined, but still, nice!

[pendragginp]

Thank you for figuring this out! I work at our local library and the cooperative we belong to just added ebooks to the items available through Overdrive.

[Freckles]

What a fabulous idea! I have many books on my 505 that I have only read once and may never read again. It would be great to buy a book for the library so others could enjoy it as well. Here in the UK many libraries are having their budgets cut, so they would probably welcome ebook donations. Now I just need to convince my library to offer ebooks...

[spec]

I'd be curious to hear from anyone who tried to pull it off with their local library and what was their experience.

Also I emailed Overdrive to put the donation button right on their website and they replied they'd forward it to product and development teams for consideration. Perhaps if more people emailed them too they'd implement it "by popular demand" (or maybe just get annoyed by those emails).

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by spec

I'd be curious to hear from anyone who tried to pull it off with their local library and what was their experience.

Also I emailed Overdrive to put the donation button right on their website and they replied they'd forward it to product and development teams for consideration. Perhaps if more people emailed them too they'd implement it "by popular demand" (or maybe just get annoyed by those emails).

I contacted my library Friday evening with a brief description of your method and asked if they would be willing to accept donations in this manner or if they had a better idea of how it could be done. I received a response from their on-call librarian saying that my email had been forwarded to the person in charge of the electronic collection and that I would receive a more specific response from them. Now that the weekend is over I hope to hear something from them in the next day or two.

I haven't contacted Overdrive yet, but that's a really good idea!

[spec]

Originally Posted by KarenH

Now that the weekend is over I hope to hear something from them in the next day or two.

I really hope overdrive implements the donate button, because going through library staff is going to be too much hassle for patrons and for librarians....

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by spec

I really hope overdrive implements the donate button, because going through library staff is going to be too much hassle for patrons and for librarians....

I agree, that would definitely be the easiest way for all concerned, but until they do I just figured it might cut out a little of the back-and-forth to somehow donate the money to the library with the stipulation that they order a specific book, then they can order through their regular channels. Don't know if that will work out, though.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

What I am trying to understand is: are libraries which use Overdrive limited to whatever content Overdrive deems acceptable? Or can a library buy anything they want and simply use the Overdrive system to manage the lending / DRM process?

Does anyone happen to have an answer for this question?