Libraries Can't Meet eBook Demand

[gracie]

>Then Apple came along with a decent music catalog and much less restrictive >DRM and digital sales became a reality. People started buying digital music >rather than pirating it.

THAT's what I was trying to get at... Apple made the music so ubiquitous and cost effective to buy that it wasn't worth the effort to pirate. I'm sure it still happens, but I have to believe legitimate sales increased considerably once things were easily and cost-effectively available.

Personally, the vast majority of ebooks I've bought have been because of ebooks I've read from the library. I find an author I like and see what other books are available from him/her...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

re: library ebooks and piracy: I find it maddening that Penguin cites piracy as their reason to pull library ebooks. Simply making your book available as an ebook (whether that be at a bookstore or library) makes it expedient for pirates to pirate it. Perhaps Penguin found their sales went down because of the legitimate library checkouts, not piracy? (which is scary for publishers, of course.) But it's bad press to say that you're "against libraries" so they had to put another spin on it.

Penguin pulled Kindle eBooks from the library. They then put them back and said no more new eBooks. So what is it that Penguin has against Kindles? There was a time when Penguin eBooks could not be bought via Amazon from Canada.

To be honest, I'd rather Penguin pulled Kindled eBooks and kept ePub if that meant we could still get new eBooks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by T.D.02809

My library does not include any information about wait time or how many are on the wait list.

Put a book on reserve. Go to your holds and you will see what place you are in line.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by renee0986

The little slip of paper I was given with the instructions on how to download and install Overdrive explained nothing about how to return a book early (which makes it difficult to estimate the maximum time, based on the number of patron’s on the waitlist for a book, you would have to wait to borrow the e-version).

Take the maximum borrow time and multiply that by the number of people in front of you on the waitlist. Then add a day for them to actually check out the eBook when it is available and you will then have your maximum wait time. You could get it early especially if some don't check it out when it's their turn or some do return early. But it won't be more then your maximum calculated wait time.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Apache

And couldn't this be discrimination against home bound handicapped readers?
Apache

If I was on vacation and had my laptop and my reader with me, I could download the eBook(s) when they become available when I am not at home and unable to get to the library in person.

Also, I don't see how it would work with the DRM for ePub eBooks. The DRM is tied to my Adobe account which is on my computer.

I do have a ay to make it work. Overdrive would have to write software to read the authorization information on my device and use that to handle the DRM. Then as long as people were able to plug in their device, into the library computer, the eBooks could be handled.

But the point of eBooks is being able to download them from anyplace I have internet access and a device to download them to.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by AndrewH

A few pages ago in this thread there were a few mentions of changing the length of the borrow time. Is this currently an option in the OverDrive system? I've never seen an option for it.

Most libraries have 7 & 14-day borrow times. Some have 21-days. The ones that have multiple borrow times they default to the longest borrow time be it 14 or 21-days. If you go to your account settings, you can change the default borrow time for the different media types. When you borrow an eBook, you can change the borrow time from your current default. So if your library has 21-days, you can set your default for 14-days and change on borrow to 21-days if the eBook is big or an omnibus. Your default will still be 14-days.

The Singapore library is the only one I know of that has a 21-day borrow time and you cannot change that.

[AndrewH]

Thank you! Singapore is the only one I have access to.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by AndrewH

Thank you! Singapore is the only one I have access to.

But once you finish reading the eBook, you can return it early.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by Apache

And couldn't this be discrimination against home bound handicapped readers?

It could be, but it I doubt it would be, because it's technically easy to make an exception for them. AFAIK, virtually all US public libraries already have systems to service homebound patrons.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

. . . I'd rather Penguin pulled Kindled eBooks and kept ePub if that meant we could still get new eBooks.

And if I had a Sony Reader, as you do, I'd agree

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

It could be, but it I doubt it would be, because it's technically easy to make an exception for them. AFAIK, virtually all US public libraries already have systems to service homebound patrons.


And if I had a Sony Reader, as you do, I'd agree

This Penguin issue affects everyone. At least they'd have new eBooks in ePub. Also, Kindle Fire owners can install other app like Akido, BlueFire or Overdrive to be able to read ePub from the library. But as it is, nobody gets new Penguin eBooks.

Is that the compromise Overdrive had to give Penguin in order to get Penguin's Kindle eBooks back at libraries? I'm hoping Overdrive can get Penguin to allow new eBooks.

I'm noticing that the way things are going, we won't have much in to choose from as more and more publishers bow out or have unreasonable terms.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Is that the compromise Overdrive had to give Penguin in order to get Penguin's Kindle eBooks back at libraries? I'm hoping Overdrive can get Penguin to allow new eBooks.

I'm noticing that the way things are going, we won't have much in to choose from as more and more publishers bow out or have unreasonable terms.

Who needs them? Go indie

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Who needs them? Go indie

I happen to like some of the authors Penguin has. Sure, I can go indie as well. But I still want to read what I know I like and not having to pay for it is a good thing.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Take the maximum borrow time and multiply that by the number of people in front of you on the waitlist. ...

Aren't you missing something?

Originally Posted by John F

Aren't you missing something?

You also have to divide by the number of copies the library has.

[elemenoP]

Originally Posted by gracie

>Then Apple came along with a decent music catalog and much less restrictive >DRM and digital sales became a reality. People started buying digital music >rather than pirating it.

THAT's what I was trying to get at... Apple made the music so ubiquitous and cost effective to buy that it wasn't worth the effort to pirate. I'm sure it still happens, but I have to believe legitimate sales increased considerably once things were easily and cost-effectively available.

And yet ironically, Apple had the exact opposite effect on ebooks: they drove the pricing UP by agreeing to and legitimizing the agency pricing model, which Amazon was then also forced to adopt.

eP