Quote:
Originally Posted by DNSB
Why not ask the publishers as to why an ebook costs a library an average of 2.5 times the cost of the hardcover pbook. Though you will likely have to be satisfied with "that's confidential information" or a similar evasion. Of course, there is also the always popular "no comment".
I suspect this comes under the heading of maximizing profit and protecting their sales from those evil fiends who are willing to check out books from the library instead of buying their own copy (or license). One other possibility is the First Sale Doctrine where once the library has purchased a pbook no matter the source, they can do what they want with it for as long as they want whereas the ebook is not owned by the library and the license terms tend to be in the draconian range.
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So publishers are guilty, guilty, guilty until proven otherwise? Consider that overdrive isn't all that much like a library, where physical books are loaned, but much more like the various streaming services out there. While I don't really particularly like the overdrive model, I also recognize that a library buying 1 copy and loaning it out is unsustainable also, especially as more libraries open up their collection to a wider audience. With streaming services, one eventually ends up at the point where the artist is compensated base on the number of times a work is downloaded.
Personally, I think a better solution is for libraries to leave ebooks and audiobooks to private companies. I know it's sacrilege to some here, but it's really not a particular good match for a libraries core mission, which is generally tied to the local community.