Publishers Restricting Libraries: RIP Sony Readers? - Page 2

david_e · 02-27-2011, 03:35 AM

I really enjoy the ability to borrow ebooks from my local library, especially something that I will only want to read once. While I find this idea to limit the number of borrowers per license to be galling I also know that there will be very little direct impact to me. If something isn't available from the library I can just buy it. Not everyone is so lucky. Instead of contacting the publisher to voice my disgust I am going to contact my library to see how I can help.

I don't know if I can donate ebooks in general or specific ebooks, but I intend to find out.

Asawi · 02-27-2011, 03:55 AM

Well, over here (Sweden) I'm guessing authors would protest loudly if anything like this would be implemented. Over here the author gets a couple of cents (or whatever the amount is) every time a book is checked out from a library. They want their books to be read gazillions of times, and they know that it people borrow their books at the library (whatever format) they are likely to pick up THEIR book before others at the airport, in the beach bookshop or wherever.
And, for what it's worth, USA isn't the world and English isn't the only language in the world. Outside of US eBooks ar bought in lots of bookstores that have nothing whatsoever to do with Amazon or B&N or Borders. EPub is the dominating format, so readers supporting ePub will defininately still be the preferred option internationally.

mcrmama · 02-27-2011, 10:50 AM

I tend to agree that although library use is a smaller percentage it is is still a big facto when deciding to purchase an ereader. For me, almost all the ebooks that i have read in the last 6 weeks have been library books. I have noticed that the lineups have grown since Christmas as more people got readers over Christmas and perhaps becoming aware of the possibilities. I showed mine to my mil's and they are both interested in readers now for library use. So library use is a big factor ateast in the decision making and early use of a reader. The fact that Sony supports ePub for buying books though from stores is also a huge factor and the touch screen was big for me as well. I really hope that e-book libraries continue to grow. Perhaps they will have to relook at library licenses to be able to give unlimited use.

roguexuk · 02-27-2011, 04:04 PM

I have to say, I only recently discovered that my local library does ebooks and I'm chuffed to bits with it.
It's so nice to be able to 'try' a book out with the library first.
Don't the publishers realise that if we really like an ebook we've borrowed, we're going to go out and buy it?

So in a way elibraries are generating a profit for the publishers - they just want more.

roguexuk

Lilly · 02-27-2011, 04:50 PM

The Sony Reader has way more to offer then just library books. A lot of people with Sony Readers don't have access to digital libraries and if they do, they usually have very little content. I live in Atlanta and I've never checked out an ebook from any Georgia libraries. With that said, these publishers are really encouraging piracy. Many people are not able to buy books and count on the libraries (that's one place your property taxes go to). I think it's a bad move and at the end they will lose.

carpetmojo · 02-28-2011, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roguexuk

I have to say, I only recently discovered that my local library does ebooks and I'm chuffed to bits with it.
It's so nice to be able to 'try' a book out with the library first.
Don't the publishers realise that if we really like an ebook we've borrowed, we're going to go out and buy it?

So in a way elibraries are generating a profit for the publishers - they just want more.

roguexuk

Hi roguexuk, read with interest your above - so is that West Sussex County Libraries/Sussex Libraries or wot ?
I am an Old Sussexian (Horsham) still with links there, and could still get a Library card there, which, from your post, would obviously be A Good Thing !

pdurrant · 02-28-2011, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyflycaster

What I don't understand is why publishers don't sell ebooks directly from their websites. Will they soon?

HarperCollins used to do so, but shut up shop 19th December 2010:
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com/

KNI · 02-28-2011, 12:55 PM

A very good discussion on comparative costs of e-books -versus printed books - p-books is at:

http://mayareynoldswriter.blogspot.c...vs-p-book.html

While this link does not directly concern libraries, it does illuminate the business models and practices of big publishers and for anyone interested is well worth checking out.

brbubba · 02-28-2011, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asawi

Well, over here (Sweden) I'm guessing authors would protest loudly if anything like this would be implemented. Over here the author gets a couple of cents (or whatever the amount is) every time a book is checked out from a library. They want their books to be read gazillions of times, and they know that it people borrow their books at the library (whatever format) they are likely to pick up THEIR book before others at the airport, in the beach bookshop or wherever.
And, for what it's worth, USA isn't the world and English isn't the only language in the world. Outside of US eBooks ar bought in lots of bookstores that have nothing whatsoever to do with Amazon or B&N or Borders. EPub is the dominating format, so readers supporting ePub will defininately still be the preferred option internationally.

That sounds like a much better system. Make the ePub's free to the library and then pay the author a few cents everytime it's checked out.

Big publishers are a dying breed and at this point just clinging on to dear life, much like the music industry did, and much like the movie industry did. This move is only going to force people to pirate books more. The eBook situation at my local library is absurd, almost every single title is always checked out. Makes me wonder what the point of having eBooks is.

roguexuk · 03-04-2011, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Hi roguexuk, read with interest your above - so is that West Sussex County Libraries/Sussex Libraries or wot ?
I am an Old Sussexian (Horsham) still with links there, and could still get a Library card there, which, from your post, would obviously be A Good Thing !

Hi Carpetmojo,

Alas West Sussex libraries use 'Public Library Online' where you can only really read the books online

Luckily while I worked in Horley I joined their library and they have Overdrive with a fair amount of books - not loads, but quite a few that people would actually wanna read

Maybe you could write to your library & suggest switching to Overdrive. I bet way more people would use that over their current system.

Roguexuk
Roguexuk

slow1234 · 03-10-2011, 04:53 PM

Hopefully HarperCollins bows to pressure and changes their Overdrive/Library sales practices. Their logic/justification for the 26-loan cap is incredibly flawed.

One of the reasons why I bought a Sony reader for my wife was for the ability to sign out library ebooks.

delphin · 03-10-2011, 05:40 PM

Neocons and radical libertarians would have us believe that Harper Collins can set any damn rules they want, because they OWN the rights to the books they publish.

Actually that's not quite accurate. Under our U.S. Constitution at least, copyright protection is a privilege granted by the government NOT a sacred god given property right.

The ability of buyers to make 'fair use' of copyrighted materials is part of the bargain that publishers agree to in exchange for their grant of copyright protection, and the ability of libraries to lend out copyrighted books in perpetuity has been long held to come under these 'fair use' rules.

Since Harper Collins apparently doesn't want to play by these long established rules governing copyrights, perhaps the government needs to step in and inform Harper Collins that they are jeopardizing their eligibility for copyright protection on Harper Collins titles until they rethink their position.

This would NOT be unprecedented. For example, when a company decides to get a patent on a new technology, they have to agree to very stringent rules in exchange for being granted patent protection. If they don't want to do this, they do have the option of opting out of the patent process and simply trying to keep the technical details of their discovery as a 'trade secret', in which case they could theoretically retain that secret forever.

However this grants them NO PROTECTION under the law.

Since Harper Collins clearly doesn't want to play the Copyright game by the long established rules, I guess we have to assume that they wish to waive their copyright protections.

cwappy · 03-10-2011, 07:47 PM

My decision to purchase a Sony had nothing to do with my local library. They only have something like 600 ebooks on their web site anyway. There are many other reasons: epub support, touchscreen, no waste of space (keyboard), better built, etc.

doreenjoy · 03-11-2011, 03:09 AM

Certain members of MR have been projecting the demise of the Sony Reader on an annual basis for at least three years. I somehow doubt they're getting out of the e-reader game.

Janette55 · 03-11-2011, 03:31 PM

Depending on what genres you read you can buy some of them from publishers. There are plenty of ebook stores where you can buy books. Some are DRM-free, others have the DRM.

I chose my Sony for several reasons, one was that I could borrow books from a library if I wanted to, but it wasn't the deciding factor. Mainly it was that I wasn't tied to Amazon. The wireless was good until I learned that Sony sold DRM'd books; but I can get most of the books from online, and DRM free.
Learning how to strip the DRM can also help to open up bookstores if you want to go that route.

02-27-2011, 10:50 AM	#18
mcrmama Addict Posts: 239 Karma: 16806 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo Aura One	I tend to agree that although library use is a smaller percentage it is is still a big facto when deciding to purchase an ereader. For me, almost all the ebooks that i have read in the last 6 weeks have been library books. I have noticed that the lineups have grown since Christmas as more people got readers over Christmas and perhaps becoming aware of the possibilities. I showed mine to my mil's and they are both interested in readers now for library use. So library use is a big factor ateast in the decision making and early use of a reader. The fact that Sony supports ePub for buying books though from stores is also a huge factor and the touch screen was big for me as well. I really hope that e-book libraries continue to grow. Perhaps they will have to relook at library licenses to be able to give unlimited use. Last edited by mcrmama; 02-27-2011 at 10:52 AM.

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02-27-2011, 03:35 AM	#16
david_e Seriously? Posts: 529 Karma: 3347562 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Mini, iWhatever	I really enjoy the ability to borrow ebooks from my local library, especially something that I will only want to read once. While I find this idea to limit the number of borrowers per license to be galling I also know that there will be very little direct impact to me. If something isn't available from the library I can just buy it. Not everyone is so lucky. Instead of contacting the publisher to voice my disgust I am going to contact my library to see how I can help. I don't know if I can donate ebooks in general or specific ebooks, but I intend to find out.

02-27-2011, 03:55 AM	#17
Asawi Gadgetoholic Posts: 1,467 Karma: 3865860 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Sweden Device: Kobo Libra2, Tolino Vision 6	Well, over here (Sweden) I'm guessing authors would protest loudly if anything like this would be implemented. Over here the author gets a couple of cents (or whatever the amount is) every time a book is checked out from a library. They want their books to be read gazillions of times, and they know that it people borrow their books at the library (whatever format) they are likely to pick up THEIR book before others at the airport, in the beach bookshop or wherever. And, for what it's worth, USA isn't the world and English isn't the only language in the world. Outside of US eBooks ar bought in lots of bookstores that have nothing whatsoever to do with Amazon or B&N or Borders. EPub is the dominating format, so readers supporting ePub will defininately still be the preferred option internationally.

02-27-2011, 04:04 PM	#19
roguexuk Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK Device: PW4, Libra H20,Libra 2, Aura ONE & Clara HD	I have to say, I only recently discovered that my local library does ebooks and I'm chuffed to bits with it. It's so nice to be able to 'try' a book out with the library first. Don't the publishers realise that if we really like an ebook we've borrowed, we're going to go out and buy it? So in a way elibraries are generating a profit for the publishers - they just want more. roguexuk

02-27-2011, 04:50 PM	#20
Lilly Guru Posts: 688 Karma: 2090 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-900 & PRS-950, Amazon Kindle2	The Sony Reader has way more to offer then just library books. A lot of people with Sony Readers don't have access to digital libraries and if they do, they usually have very little content. I live in Atlanta and I've never checked out an ebook from any Georgia libraries. With that said, these publishers are really encouraging piracy. Many people are not able to buy books and count on the libraries (that's one place your property taxes go to). I think it's a bad move and at the end they will lose.

02-28-2011, 12:55 PM	#23
KNI Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 31226 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Oregon Device: Sony PRS-650	A very good discussion on comparative costs of e-books -versus printed books - p-books is at: http://mayareynoldswriter.blogspot.c...vs-p-book.html While this link does not directly concern libraries, it does illuminate the business models and practices of big publishers and for anyone interested is well worth checking out.

03-10-2011, 04:53 PM	#26
slow1234 Enthusiast Posts: 30 Karma: 5166 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	Hopefully HarperCollins bows to pressure and changes their Overdrive/Library sales practices. Their logic/justification for the 26-loan cap is incredibly flawed. One of the reasons why I bought a Sony reader for my wife was for the ability to sign out library ebooks.

03-10-2011, 05:40 PM	#27
delphin Evangelist Posts: 434 Karma: 346901 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: SONY PRS-650	Neocons and radical libertarians would have us believe that Harper Collins can set any damn rules they want, because they OWN the rights to the books they publish. Actually that's not quite accurate. Under our U.S. Constitution at least, copyright protection is a privilege granted by the government NOT a sacred god given property right. The ability of buyers to make 'fair use' of copyrighted materials is part of the bargain that publishers agree to in exchange for their grant of copyright protection, and the ability of libraries to lend out copyrighted books in perpetuity has been long held to come under these 'fair use' rules. Since Harper Collins apparently doesn't want to play by these long established rules governing copyrights, perhaps the government needs to step in and inform Harper Collins that they are jeopardizing their eligibility for copyright protection on Harper Collins titles until they rethink their position. This would NOT be unprecedented. For example, when a company decides to get a patent on a new technology, they have to agree to very stringent rules in exchange for being granted patent protection. If they don't want to do this, they do have the option of opting out of the patent process and simply trying to keep the technical details of their discovery as a 'trade secret', in which case they could theoretically retain that secret forever. However this grants them NO PROTECTION under the law. Since Harper Collins clearly doesn't want to play the Copyright game by the long established rules, I guess we have to assume that they wish to waive their copyright protections.

03-10-2011, 07:47 PM	#28
cwappy Member Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Sony PRS-350	My decision to purchase a Sony had nothing to do with my local library. They only have something like 600 ebooks on their web site anyway. There are many other reasons: epub support, touchscreen, no waste of space (keyboard), better built, etc.

03-11-2011, 03:09 AM	#29
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	Certain members of MR have been projecting the demise of the Sony Reader on an annual basis for at least three years. I somehow doubt they're getting out of the e-reader game.

03-11-2011, 03:31 PM	#30
Janette55 Connoisseur Posts: 88 Karma: 2056 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ohio Device: Sony 900	Depending on what genres you read you can buy some of them from publishers. There are plenty of ebook stores where you can buy books. Some are DRM-free, others have the DRM. I chose my Sony for several reasons, one was that I could borrow books from a library if I wanted to, but it wasn't the deciding factor. Mainly it was that I wasn't tied to Amazon. The wireless was good until I learned that Sony sold DRM'd books; but I can get most of the books from online, and DRM free. Learning how to strip the DRM can also help to open up bookstores if you want to go that route.