Libraries and eBook adoption

[webroot]

So far Public & school libraries have shown least progress in eBook adoption (about 5%), librarian mostly blame publishers for their inflexible "eBook Licensing" that are very expensive, baffling checkout schemes (like 26 checkout before it expire), create difficulties in sharing, and do not guarantee long term preserv-ability due to DRM.

I am thinking if eBook adoption gets a boost in libraries what will be the role of libraries both independent and school based? Other than website administrator for their 3M or Overdrive account management what will they do (I am not saying print will go anytime soon, so they will have work), publishers at least do have the copyright ownership for their eBooks for a sufficient future, but as nobody really need to visit libraries and when they go digital they must be scaled down drastically.

What do you think, friction in eBook adoption in schools is causes by both publishers as well libraries?

[crich70]

Probably misunderstanding about what ebooks are on the part of school board members plays a part too. And while they aren't as expensive as they once were ereaders aren't a small investment. Do they just buy a few for the school library? Do they add it to the list of needed equipment for school along with rulers, notebook paper and white glue?

[Calenorn]

Originally Posted by webroot

So far Public & school libraries have shown least progress in eBook adoption (about 5%), librarian mostly blame publishers for their inflexible "eBook Licensing" that are very expensive, baffling checkout schemes (like 26 checkout before it expire), create difficulties in sharing, and do not guarantee long term preserv-ability due to DRM.

I am thinking if eBook adoption gets a boost in libraries what will be the role of libraries both independent and school based? Other than website administrator for their 3M or Overdrive account management what will they do (I am not saying print will go anytime soon, so they will have work), publishers at least do have the copyright ownership for their eBooks for a sufficient future, but as nobody really need to visit libraries and when they go digital they must be scaled down drastically.

What do you think, friction in eBook adoption in schools is causes by both publishers as well libraries?

Many school libraries have been called 'media centers' for many years. Their role in support of classroom teachers has been steady, even as the technology has changed. They will adapt.

Public libraries in the US have increasingly become resource centers for people with limited computer access or technological knowledge. As society increasingly relies on electronic communication and record keeping, public libraries have become a safety net for those without the financial means to stay connected on their own. They, also, will adapt.

Really, in both cases, the books were a tool to do a job, and the job remains.

[webroot]

Originally Posted by crich70

Probably misunderstanding about what ebooks are on the part of school board members plays a part too. And while they aren't as expensive as they once were ereaders aren't a small investment. Do they just buy a few for the school library? Do they add it to the list of needed equipment for school along with rulers, notebook paper and white glue?

I quite agree, they must have ereaders in their shelf with preloaded ebooks, they can be borrowed instead.

[susan_cassidy]

Originally Posted by webroot

So far Public & school libraries have shown least progress in eBook adoption (about 5%), librarian mostly blame publishers for their inflexible "eBook Licensing" that are very expensive, baffling checkout schemes (like 26 checkout before it expire), create difficulties in sharing, and do not guarantee long term preserv-ability due to DRM.

Don't know what you are talking about when you say " 26 checkout before it expire" - I've never heard of anything resembling that, if I can try and understand what you meant. Your English is not great.

You can't share library books, or any ebooks, really, unless the second person is on your account. Why would you need to? The other people can just check the book out themselves.

What does DRM have to do with "long term preservation"? Library books are typically checked out only for about two weeks, anyway. DRM isn't applied until someone checks out the book. What could be the problem? You don't keep library books forever, anyway, so some of the issues people have with DRM don't really apply, like format-shifting for another device in future.

[Calenorn]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

Don't know what you are talking about when you say " 26 checkout before it expire" - I've never heard of anything resembling that, if I can try and understand what you meant. Your English is not great.

Some publishers sell ebooks to libraries under terms that limit the number of times the library is allowed to loan the book to a user. When the limit is reached the library would have to pay for the ebook again in order to continue loaning it.

[bfisher]

Originally Posted by Calenorn

Many school libraries have been called 'media centers' for many years. Their role in support of classroom teachers has been steady, even as the technology has changed. They will adapt.

Public libraries in the US have increasingly become resource centers for people with limited computer access or technological knowledge. As society increasingly relies on electronic communication and record keeping, public libraries have become a safety net for those without the financial means to stay connected on their own. They, also, will adapt.

Really, in both cases, the books were a tool to do a job, and the job remains.

Yes, my local branch of the Ottawa library was expanded recently. I estimate that the floor space was tripled, but the stack area stayed about the same size; most of the new space is for computer use. At the same time, they switched to electronic check-in and check-out, and they offer borrowing of chromebooks. The library staff now seem to spend much more of their time assisting users with digital media or computer problems.

[crane3]

Originally Posted by Calenorn

Some publishers sell ebooks to libraries under terms that limit the number of times the library is allowed to loan the book to a user. When the limit is reached the library would have to pay for the ebook again in order to continue loaning it.

Time to have a list of publishers on a DO NOT BUY list or something like that. The accounting on the software would be just for those publishers with a "use limitation". And how would the publishers' get documentation for each use? via additional programming by the libraries.

More to the point, I've donated a few new books to the library that I've read because of the demand on their waiting list; the books were the Harry Potter & the waiting list was quite long after the books were just published. The donations shortened the waiting. Don't know about the legality of how the library can use a donated book instead of being purchased by the library.

Is there a different price for printed books purchased by a library vs a "common" person? Is there a limit on usage of printed books some publishers require?

Music CDs & videos are available for borrowing from the library; can't imagine a limit on how many times an item is borrowed. At one time Sony made their recordings available for download from the library for FREE; only requirement is logon to the library & a limit of 4 downloads a day which was reasonable to me. Those classical symphonies took many days!

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

Don't know what you are talking about when you say " 26 checkout before it expire" - I've never heard of anything resembling that, if I can try and understand what you meant. Your English is not great.

Their English is fine. If you haven't heard of the 26 checkout limit on some eBooks you've just missed the discussion there has been here and elsewhere the past few years.



Here are the library sales terms for the Big 5 last time I checked. Penguin Random House as a merged company may have changed all books to one scheme or another by now, not sure.

Random House
Perpetual Licence
eBooks cost 3-4 times retail list price

Penguin
12 month license
eBook pricing similar to full retail list

HarperCollins (now includes Harlequin)
License good for 26 checkouts
eBooks generally cost full retail list price

Macmillan
Licence good for 2 yesrs/52 loans (whichever comes first)
eBooks published less than 12 months ago are $60 each, older than 12 months $40 each

Simon & Schuster
Licence good for 12 months
Costs are generally more than eBook list, but less than Hardcover list.

Hachette
Perpetual license
Initial eBook pricing is 3 times the primary physical book cost. After one year the price drops to 1-1/2 times the primary physical book cost. Primary physical book cost is the highest priced edition currently in print.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by webroot

So far Public & school libraries have shown least progress in eBook adoption (about 5%),

Really? I hadn't noticed.

librarian mostly blame publishers for their inflexible "eBook Licensing" that are very expensive, baffling checkout schemes (like 26 checkout before it expire),

That would make them more expensive for the library, yes -- but IME they buy them anyway.

create difficulties in sharing,

By "sharing" do you mean criminal activity, commonly known as "petty theft" or "piracy"?

If I may make a suggestion -- MobileRead has a very strong anti-piracy policy. I would try to avoid sounding like I approved of blatant copyright infringement.

and do not guarantee long term preserv-ability due to DRM.

Is this something new? But in the case of libraries, that isn't actually a problem. The books should be bound to a management system, otherwise how do you connect books to patrons? How do you end the checkout?

I am thinking if eBook adoption gets a boost in libraries what will be the role of libraries both independent and school based? Other than website administrator for their 3M or Overdrive account management what will they do (I am not saying print will go anytime soon, so they will have work),

I have checked out all my pbooks myself for years and years now, it's called "self-checkout". It hasn't obsoleted librarians.
Librarians are not just clerks.

publishers at least do have the copyright ownership for their eBooks for a sufficient future, but as nobody really need to visit libraries and when they go digital they must be scaled down drastically.

I'm sorry, can you tell me what that sentence was supposed to mean?

What do you think, friction in eBook adoption in schools is causes by both publishers as well libraries?

I thought we were talking about libraries? Where do schools come in????

[webroot]

Originally Posted by crane3

Is there a different price for printed books purchased by a library vs a "common" person? Is there a limit on usage of printed books some publishers require?

No, according to law, after purchase you can do almost anything with print books. But when it comes to eBook, publisher never use the word "Buy" they only license them to libraries.

[webroot]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Random House
Perpetual Licence
eBooks cost 3-4 times retail list price

Penguin
12 month license
eBook pricing similar to full retail list

HarperCollins (now includes Harlequin)
License good for 26 checkouts
eBooks generally cost full retail list price

Macmillan
Licence good for 2 yesrs/52 loans (whichever comes first)
eBooks published less than 12 months ago are $60 each, older than 12 months $40 each

Simon & Schuster
Licence good for 12 months
Costs are generally more than eBook list, but less than Hardcover list.

Hachette
Perpetual license
Initial eBook pricing is 3 times the primary physical book cost. After one year the price drops to 1-1/2 times the primary physical book cost. Primary physical book cost is the highest priced edition currently in print.

That's where the interesting area is, how did they arrive to these numbers, Probably they are using historical print book sales data to find out how often libraries re-order from them. In that case a time bound model could work for them.

Btw, what sort of software they use, Overdrive? And what is the problem with following print book model, I mean if library buys 10 license for a title only 10 users will have simultaneously access, and let the expiry sufficient high like 5 years. Of course publishers must set price of their eBooks well below print books.

In this discussion, I want to include educational libraries also which operate within school and colleges, what options they have ?

[crane3]

Originally Posted by webroot

No, according to law, after purchase you can do almost anything with print books. But when it comes to eBook, publisher never use the word "Buy" they only license them to libraries.

Sounds like a case of piracy as in the old buccaneer days. Except for the use of ships the pirates use "licenses" to steal/scam the "general public".

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by webroot

That's where the interesting area is, how did they arrive to these numbers, Probably they are using historical print book sales data to find out how often libraries re-order from them. In that case a time bound model could work for them.

Or they just picked a number they thought they could force.

Btw, what sort of software they use, Overdrive?

Their own.

And what is the problem with following print book model, I mean if library buys 10 license for a title only 10 users will have simultaneously access,

They do that too.

and let the expiry sufficient high like 5 years. Of course publishers must set price of their eBooks well below print books.

Why must they charge less? You clearly aren't seeing the trend here -- the publishers are looking to get even more money.

In this discussion, I want to include educational libraries also which operate within school and colleges, what options they have ?

The same options any other libraries have...
Yes, they use OverDrive too.

[webroot]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

By "sharing" do you mean criminal activity, commonly known as "petty theft" or "piracy"?

If I may make a suggestion -- MobileRead has a very strong anti-piracy policy. I would try to avoid sounding like I approved of blatant copyright infringement.

By sharing means anything legit that one can do with print books should be possible with eBooks as well, for example: library sharing items with their members , inter library loan, or you have seen two member swap their books which is not a bad thing. I am falling short of a good example but there will be many permutations not easy in these eBook distribution systems

Is this something new? But in the case of libraries, that isn't actually a problem. The books should be bound to a management system, otherwise how do you connect books to patrons? How do you end the checkout?

Yes, ebooks are bound to a management system and when the management company goes out of business, ebooks from the shelf will disappear overnight, something not good for libraries that relied on long term archiving of literature, which made finding rare books possible.

I thought we were talking about libraries? Where do schools come in????

I am not just talking about Public libraries, there is library inside college campus and schools.