MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - New eBook and digital content licensing terms for library lending

grouch2 · 02-26-2011, 11:48 AM

I am still considering what to do as far as this latest HC development. As far as HC wanting your personal information, all that is happening is that OverDrive wants to see "who" geographically we are lending online items to. My library lends to anyone in the state, since we used state grant money to build up our collection 2 years ago.

There are still other major publishers who do not sell eBooks to libraries. If we boycotted them + HC, my library could not offer many of the books/ebooks that people want. I think our best bet is to bombard HC with requests to raise the 26 limit to a more reasonable number, like 50. Honestly, most library books look pretty bad after 50 circs. Truth is, many people don't take care of the books they borrow.

My library system buys 16 copies of movies that gross $100 million and above. each branch gets 4 copies. Usually, these movies have a waiting list of 30+ people, and at least 2 copies never come back after the the first two weeks of check-outs (DVD's circ for 3 days). Those figures do not put us in competition with Netflix, Blockbuster, Hollywood, etc. Personally, I use Netflix even though I used to live behind a Hollywood video.

Online books account for about 8% of my library systems total checkouts. It's like having a small, unstaffed branch library. We pay OverDrive a huge fee every year for the webpage, technology, etc., and then pay a "normal" library rate for audiobooks (Random House/Recorded Books/BBC Audiobooks cost about $95 apiece. This is because with physical copies, we can order replacement discs for those that get lost or messed up. So, these audiobooks have a "lifetime" warranty (sp?)). Prices on eBooks vary from around $25 for a new eBook to $7 or $8 for an older eBook. Romance novels cost $2.50 to $5.00 and circulate like crazy!

HC's limits will hurt us, for sure. The geographical limits, whatever they are,, will hurt those who borrow from the library around the state. But, golly, I don't know how to tell who in our system only borrows online! Is that cardholder from downstate someone who checks out books when they visit or do they only check out eBooks? I sure can't tell.....I think most libraries will agree that there is no way to tell who in our systems just borrow ebooks; that is, unless they were coded when they first were entered into the system.

02-26-2011, 11:48 AM	#69
grouch2 Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 8774 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Texas Device: sony reader, nook, iPad	Librarian reply I am still considering what to do as far as this latest HC development. As far as HC wanting your personal information, all that is happening is that OverDrive wants to see "who" geographically we are lending online items to. My library lends to anyone in the state, since we used state grant money to build up our collection 2 years ago. There are still other major publishers who do not sell eBooks to libraries. If we boycotted them + HC, my library could not offer many of the books/ebooks that people want. I think our best bet is to bombard HC with requests to raise the 26 limit to a more reasonable number, like 50. Honestly, most library books look pretty bad after 50 circs. Truth is, many people don't take care of the books they borrow. My library system buys 16 copies of movies that gross $100 million and above. each branch gets 4 copies. Usually, these movies have a waiting list of 30+ people, and at least 2 copies never come back after the the first two weeks of check-outs (DVD's circ for 3 days). Those figures do not put us in competition with Netflix, Blockbuster, Hollywood, etc. Personally, I use Netflix even though I used to live behind a Hollywood video. Online books account for about 8% of my library systems total checkouts. It's like having a small, unstaffed branch library. We pay OverDrive a huge fee every year for the webpage, technology, etc., and then pay a "normal" library rate for audiobooks (Random House/Recorded Books/BBC Audiobooks cost about $95 apiece. This is because with physical copies, we can order replacement discs for those that get lost or messed up. So, these audiobooks have a "lifetime" warranty (sp?)). Prices on eBooks vary from around $25 for a new eBook to $7 or $8 for an older eBook. Romance novels cost $2.50 to $5.00 and circulate like crazy! HC's limits will hurt us, for sure. The geographical limits, whatever they are,, will hurt those who borrow from the library around the state. But, golly, I don't know how to tell who in our system only borrows online! Is that cardholder from downstate someone who checks out books when they visit or do they only check out eBooks? I sure can't tell.....I think most libraries will agree that there is no way to tell who in our systems just borrow ebooks; that is, unless they were coded when they first were entered into the system.