Libraries Moving Toward eBook Ownership

[Penforhire]

I'm thinking the law on a library scanning their books and lending the scans is fuzzy at best. Probably even straight-legal in some other countries.

Also, if you (Joe Private Individual) own a physical book you can lend it out as often as you like, just one book can exist at a time. What if scanned e-book lending did the same? Loan as many e-book loaners as they had physical copies before scanning. The standard library e-book (Overdrive) mechanism already works this way, limited simultaneous e-book loans.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by SleepyBob

Because owning a copy of a book does not give me rights to distribute electronic copies of it. Copyright has an exception to allow me to make a copy for my personal backup. It doesn't give me the right to share that copy.

They buy books with the stated intent of lending the book to the public. If they let the public borrow a papper copy or an electronic copy seems irrelevant to me.

Just to be a little more specific. The library can only make one electronic copy for each paper book they own and they can't lend out the paper book if they also lend the e-book. But the scanning OCR process pretty much destroys the book anyway. Also note, I don't suggest that they should be able to lend out their electronic copy simultenously to several borrowers. All I'm suggesting is that they should be able to decide if they want to have a paper copy or an electronic copy of a certain book. Then lend it in the same manner they have always done. Sorry, but I don't see any copyright violation in that. Nothing except format changes.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Sorry, but I don't see any copyright violation in that. Nothing except format changes.

Well unfortunately what seems fair and reasonable has very little to do with the law

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Well unfortunately what seems fair and reasonable has very little to do with the law

That is, unfortunately, a very valid point.
Now I am not a US citizen so it doesn't affect me, but if I was I sure would be writing a letter to my Congresswoman and state that I think libraries should be able to choose if they want to lend a paper copy or an electronic copy. Their money (tax-payers' to be precise I suppose), their choice. If the law is fuzzy, make it clearer.

[AlbertaCowboy]

Originally Posted by Phogg

Yup.

Our local non-government funded library is looking to use lender readers. Fill them with author freebies and discounted books and cheaper indy publications. If the book was bought for that reader the publishers can do NADA about this approach.

.

I'm a little shaky on the legality of this idea, (although I think it's brilliant).

Theoretically, could a library buy an eReader, setup an Amazon (or Kobo or what-have-you) account under the Library's name, purchase books for that reader and then publically lend the reader with individually purchased ebooks loaded?

Could that library then purchase and authorize five readers to simultaneously allow that one purchased book to be loaded and lent? As I understand DRM (Adobe anyways) can't a purchased book legally be on a couple of authorized devices without copyright infringement?

Surely the various "you've licensed this book, not bought it" agreements would disallow the library lending of the physical ereader even though the loaded book was legally purchased for said ereader?

[anamardoll]

I don't personally like the idea of Lender Readers (at least as a replacement, as opposed to a supplement) because they're essentially worthless to people who HAVE readers. I didn't buy a reader so I could drive down to the library and borrow theirs. And god help the patron who breaks the reader by accident... phew.

[abookreader]

Originally Posted by AlbertaCowboy

I'm a little shaky on the legality of this idea, (although I think it's brilliant).

Theoretically, could a library buy an eReader, setup an Amazon (or Kobo or what-have-you) account under the Library's name, purchase books for that reader and then publically lend the reader with individually purchased ebooks loaded?

Could that library then purchase and authorize five readers to simultaneously allow that one purchased book to be loaded and lent? As I understand DRM (Adobe anyways) can't a purchased book legally be on a couple of authorized devices without copyright infringement?

Surely the various "you've licensed this book, not bought it" agreements would disallow the library lending of the physical ereader even though the loaded book was legally purchased for said ereader?

It isn't so much theoretical because it is being done, although fairly quietly. As long as it remains small scale, I don't know if the Publishers will attempt to stop it but if it takes off as an idea all bets are off. If you Google you can find the blogs of a couple of library programs which have implemented loaner readers with eBooks loaded.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I... are they not aware that it's the publishers, not the vendors who are trying to shut libraries down?

I think when vendors get as big as Amazon and B&N the line between publishes and vendors gets a little blurred.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I don't personally like the idea of Lender Readers (at least as a replacement, as opposed to a supplement) because they're essentially worthless to people who HAVE readers. I didn't buy a reader so I could drive down to the library and borrow theirs. And god help the patron who breaks the reader by accident... phew.

As to people with ereaders being at a disadvantage, how so? They're free to borrow one of the preloaded ereaders like everyone else.

There's no guarantee that libraries have to provide ebooks for download anymore than they have to provide ebooks in both EPUB and Kindle formats.

Nor is there a guarantee that they have to provide ebooks from popular authors. Times being what they are, I'd rather a library buy 10 ebooks from lesser/unknown authors, than 2 ebooks from well known authors.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by AlbertaCowboy

I'm a little shaky on the legality of this idea, (although I think it's brilliant).

Theoretically, could a library buy an eReader, setup an Amazon (or Kobo or what-have-you) account under the Library's name, purchase books for that reader and then publically lend the reader with individually purchased ebooks loaded?

Could that library then purchase and authorize five readers to simultaneously allow that one purchased book to be loaded and lent? As I understand DRM (Adobe anyways) can't a purchased book legally be on a couple of authorized devices without copyright infringement?

Surely the various "you've licensed this book, not bought it" agreements would disallow the library lending of the physical ereader even though the loaded book was legally purchased for said ereader?

Look at precedent established in law, with loaner computers and the software on them.

There is zero new ground here.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I don't personally like the idea of Lender Readers (at least as a replacement, as opposed to a supplement) because they're essentially worthless to people who HAVE readers. I didn't buy a reader so I could drive down to the library and borrow theirs. And god help the patron who breaks the reader by accident... phew.

True enough, but our budget is really limited (town population is about 2700) as we have fundraisers and local business grants to operate on.

There are two libraries in the county supported by tax dollars that can afford regular download books though. Those are eleven and sixteen miles from me respectively.

[elemenoP]

Originally Posted by wodin

I think when vendors get as big as Amazon and B&N the line between publishes and vendors gets a little blurred.

They are not talking about Amazon and B&N, they are talking about Overdrive.

I don't know why the article didn't want to name Overdrive by name, but you can read it as: "we want to offer library ebooks, but we don't want to pay Overdrive any money."

eP

[caleb72]

A whole new platform for indies to self-promote. Yay libraries!

[Fozzybear]

It all seems so complicated that I wonder why libraries in the uk are even bothering with e-books really. There aren't that many people in the uk with e-readers, fewer still in either the right location or with the knowledge of how to use the library e-book service, and the ones with kindles can't even access it. I'd rather they spent the money on paper book facilities that everyone can use rather than spend large amounts trying to cater for a tiny minority.

I like my kindle but it still seems a very niche market here in the UK, far too small to warrant the expenditure when money for services is squeezed so much.