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Is there a counter petition to sign? You can know the truth sometimes by just listening. How can it be that "the publisher is hurting themselves" and "the publisher isn't significant at all for the library" ---- and people want to sign a petition to force the publisher to change their policy?
I don't have a strong opinion about whether I think this is a good move for the publisher or not. Time will tell. And likely nobody will ever know except the publisher.
I love libraries...have had a strong connection since I as a kid...even if I don't currently use them.
However, I just don't see the necessity that libraries get just released fiction. It would be like complaining that my food pantry isn't handing out steaks. (gasp...did I just compare libraries to charities again?!).
I think we need to reevaluate what a library is. I have a hard time justifying public, tax payer funded institutions bullying a publisher to provide ebooks during the just released money making window.
And I really and sincerely doubt these major publishers have no clue how valuable libraries are to their business. But I could be wrong about that. The publishers could be wrong about that. If the libraries are RIGHT about that, the libraries have nothing to worry about. The publishers will see a drop in sales and realize they need to rethink their relationships to libraries.
The public actions of the libraries lead me to think they AREN'T right about this and know it. If libraries had a solid case about how helpful they are to the sales of books, that's all they'd need. They'd have their presentations and they'd make their pitches to the publishers directly without the public pressure. Just doesn't pass the smell test for me.
But I could be wrong (as if any post I ever write isn't in need of the same disclaimer)
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