Librarians Threaten Boycott Over HC e-Book Terms

carld · 03-02-2011, 03:59 PM

Librarian Unhappiness Over New Harper e-Book Lending Policy Grows

Link to Publishers Weekly

rhadin · 03-02-2011, 04:38 PM

That's the market talking. Now if only that market-oriented capitalist Rupert Murdoch is listening. I suspect, however, he believes in a free market only for News Corp., not for librarians.

asjogren · 03-02-2011, 09:41 PM

I imagine a deal with Amazon.com might piss-off the Publishers hugely:

Buy a number of Kindles at way below cost. Setup multiple accounts where 5 Kindles are tied to an account. Buy books within an author or genre. One eBook license then could be on 5 different Kindles. Then lend the Kindles. Not only are the eBooks cheaper than the typical hard cover purchased by the library, but they get 5 for one.

This threat could easily get the Publishers to the bargaining table. And Overdrive.com. It is not a solution. But, Amazon.com is the entity that can battle the Publishers lawyer-to-lawyer.

Who knows? Amazon.com may really, really like a setup that ties the Public Libraries to Kindle and Amazon.com purchases.

It is really hard to win a PR battle against Public Libraries. The Bush Administration attempted to with "Radical Militant Librarians" with the US Patriot Act and Son of US Patriot Act. It did not work.

rogue_librarian · 03-03-2011, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asjogren

Not only are the eBooks cheaper than the typical hard cover purchased by the library, but they get 5 for one.

You mean, like somebody wanted to borrow "The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest" and the librarian says "Here, take this Kindle, it's got the whole trilogy on it?" I'm sure that would violate all kinds of laws, and be very difficult to handle on top of it.

Quote:

It is really hard to win a PR battle against Public Libraries.

That much is true. Just like puppies

tubemonkey · 03-03-2011, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asjogren

Buy a number of Kindles at way below cost. Setup multiple accounts where 5 Kindles are tied to an account. Buy books within an author or genre. One eBook license then could be on 5 different Kindles. Then lend the Kindles. Not only are the eBooks cheaper than the typical hard cover purchased by the library, but they get 5 for one.

If only

abookreader · 03-03-2011, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

You mean, like somebody wanted to borrow "The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest" and the librarian says "Here, take this Kindle, it's got the whole trilogy on it?" I'm sure that would violate all kinds of laws, and be very difficult to handle on top of it.

That much is true. Just like puppies

There are libraries doing it. Risk in --- broken and lost Kindles. Advantages in --- content from all publishers including MacMillan, Simon and Schuster.

Here's one
http://www.rflib.org/books-and-media/kindles

My son's school is talking about it for kids too. Supplying Kindles to 6th/9th Graders and then using them in several classes. They are still in the stages of exploring which technology would be the best.

Soldim · 03-03-2011, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

You mean, like somebody wanted to borrow "The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest" and the librarian says "Here, take this Kindle, it's got the whole trilogy on it?" I'm sure that would violate all kinds of laws, and be very difficult to handle on top of it.

That actually happens in a couple of libraries, as far as I am aware. (Well, they have Sony 350 and 505s, but that's about they only difference.) They have a couple of hundred titles on each. I am no sure whether or not they have different collections.

I do not quite see why it would be illegal, or more difficult to handle than lending other material....

tubemonkey · 03-03-2011, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abookreader

My son's school is talking about it for kids too. Supplying Kindles to 6th/9th Graders and then using them in several classes. They are still in the stages of exploring which technology would be the best.

Wait until they start dropping them:

abookreader · 03-03-2011, 08:33 AM

I'm not too worried about drops or breakage. We could always insure them if it were that much of a concern.

Losing them now ....

queentess · 03-03-2011, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Wait until they start dropping them:

[IMG]

That picture makes me very sad. I've dropped naked Kindles and Sonys on my hardwood floors and (luckily) have never had any breakages. My Kindle does make a slight rattling noise when I shake it now, but it still works fine... I think some sort of protective case would be in order for public usage.

asjogren · 03-03-2011, 11:13 AM

Who knows, Amazon.com may even be willing to donate Kindles to the Public Library to break the Publishers. And The Agency Model.

The Public Library cultivates the next crop of people who love to read. It appears to me that these "weird" eBook Public Library policies are very short sighted.

rogue_librarian · 03-03-2011, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soldim

I do not quite see why it would be illegal, or more difficult to handle than lending other material....

If they do have different collections it would be necessary to keep track of which books are loaded on what Kindle, store them securely and safely, retrieve the correct one from storage, make sure they work OK upon return... then there's service and maintenance, they need to be charged periodically (give the user a charger?), broken ones need to replaced, new books be added... I don't see why it couldn't work on a small scale, but it'd require somewhat more effort, I think.

And, yes, sometimes libraries do need to acquire lending rights in addition to just obtaining the actual books or media so there's all kind of legal issues I see, too; depending, of course, on your jurisdiction as usual. Does Amazon's license agreement allow for that? I don't think so, for what that's worth.

Catlady · 03-03-2011, 11:55 AM

Why would Amazon want to do anything to help libraries?

asjogren · 03-03-2011, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catlady

Why would Amazon want to do anything to help libraries?

It would get people reading on Amazon's eReader. It could generate a lot more sales that they currently get ZERO.

But, more importantly, it could break the Publishers stranglehold.

MrsJoseph · 03-03-2011, 12:25 PM

03-02-2011, 03:59 PM	#1
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Librarians Threaten Boycott Over HC e-Book Terms Librarian Unhappiness Over New Harper e-Book Lending Policy Grows Link to Publishers Weekly

03-03-2011, 12:25 PM	#15
MrsJoseph Loves Ellipsis... Posts: 1,554 Karma: 7899232 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Washington, DC Device: Kobo Wifi (broken), nook STR (returned), Kobo Touch, Sony T1	We need more serious librarians...

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03-02-2011, 04:38 PM	#2
rhadin Literacy = Understanding Posts: 4,833 Karma: 59674358 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The World of Books Device: Nook, Nook Tablet	That's the market talking. Now if only that market-oriented capitalist Rupert Murdoch is listening. I suspect, however, he believes in a free market only for News Corp., not for librarians.

03-02-2011, 09:41 PM	#3
asjogren Addict Posts: 266 Karma: 1378 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Seattle / San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Device: Kindle & WiFi Nook & PocketBook IQ	I imagine a deal with Amazon.com might piss-off the Publishers hugely: Buy a number of Kindles at way below cost. Setup multiple accounts where 5 Kindles are tied to an account. Buy books within an author or genre. One eBook license then could be on 5 different Kindles. Then lend the Kindles. Not only are the eBooks cheaper than the typical hard cover purchased by the library, but they get 5 for one. This threat could easily get the Publishers to the bargaining table. And Overdrive.com. It is not a solution. But, Amazon.com is the entity that can battle the Publishers lawyer-to-lawyer. Who knows? Amazon.com may really, really like a setup that ties the Public Libraries to Kindle and Amazon.com purchases. It is really hard to win a PR battle against Public Libraries. The Bush Administration attempted to with "Radical Militant Librarians" with the US Patriot Act and Son of US Patriot Act. It did not work.

03-03-2011, 08:33 AM	#9
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	I'm not too worried about drops or breakage. We could always insure them if it were that much of a concern. Losing them now ....

03-03-2011, 11:13 AM	#11
asjogren Addict Posts: 266 Karma: 1378 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Seattle / San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Device: Kindle & WiFi Nook & PocketBook IQ	Who knows, Amazon.com may even be willing to donate Kindles to the Public Library to break the Publishers. And The Agency Model. The Public Library cultivates the next crop of people who love to read. It appears to me that these "weird" eBook Public Library policies are very short sighted.

03-03-2011, 11:55 AM	#13
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,423 Karma: 52734361 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	Why would Amazon want to do anything to help libraries?