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I'm scratching my head, wondering how Harper-Collins and OverDrive expect to develop an equitable, consistent way to ensure ebooks are only being lent to a given library's "legitimate" local patrons. In the USA alone, public libraries have widely varying policies pertaining to borrowing privileges. Does a single publisher expect the entire nation's libraries to rewrite these policies?
I live in Alaska and borrow eBooks from a statewide consortium ("Listen Alaska!", so named because recorded books were its original offering) that includes all the state's major public libraries. My state comprises 20% of the USA's land area and most communities are not linked by roads. Does that mean residents of Alaska's vast bush communities will be SOL when it comes to borrowing HC eBooks? It's not like these patrons have walk-in libraries, or even bookstores, in most of these places.
Here's hoping our public libraries, with their proud history of offering free access to the written word to all, do not let a single publisher dictate such ridiculous terms. Meanwhile, I for one will be boycotting everything HC publishes.
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