NPR Planet Money - The E-Book Wars

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by issybird

That’s essentially what this post said:

I.e., catering for only a subset of readers. Which had been my point.

You and I read that post very differently. You ignored everything about the cost.

If the imaginary library spends $100 on three academic nonfiction books that will between them have a total of two checkouts in the two year licensing term and the library also sends $100 on ten romance novels, all of whose checkouts will expire before the two year term is up, how is that catering only to a small subset of readers? It is certainly not saying 'so long as a library served its romance patrons it was doing its job'

[issybird]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

You and I read that post very differently. You ignored everything about the cost.

If the imaginary library spends $100 on three academic nonfiction books that will between them have a total of two checkouts in the two year licensing term and the library also sends $100 on ten romance novels, all of whose checkouts will expire before the two year term is up, how is that catering only to a small subset of readers? It is certainly not saying 'so long as a library served its romance patrons it was doing its job'

Wow, talk about a “disingenuous misrepresentation”!

When did I ever say that buying romance novels was catering to a “small subset” of readers? My point, again, is that libraries shouldn’t cater only to their largest subsets. You, perhaps deliberately, claim I said the exact opposite. Here’s something I actually did say:

Originally Posted by issybird

In fact, I think that romance should account for a huge part of the purchasing budget, because they are so popular.

Nor do I ignore everything about cost. Resources are finite. That doesn’t mean that buying the most books they can with their funds is the best choice; some legitimate library users are entirely left out that way.

Oh, I’d forgotten that you’d let them have “one or two doorstops a month.” They are lucky. And perhaps you could stop pulling figures out of your fundament to prove your point. No one, no one, not even moi, is saying that a putative library should spend a putative $100 on three “academic nonfiction books” that will be read by two readers.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by issybird

Wow, talk about a “disingenuous misrepresentation”!

When did I ever say that buying romance novels was catering to a “small subset” of readers?

You didn't. Instead you misrepresented what someone else said as:

Originally Posted by issybird

I recall you thought that so long as a library served its romance patrons it was doing its job...

As for:

Oh, I’d forgotten that you’d let them have “one or two doorstops a month.” They are lucky.

I'm not letting anyone have anything. But:

And perhaps you could stop pulling figures out of your fundament to prove your point. No one, no one, not even moi, is saying that a putative library should spend a putative $100 on three “academic nonfiction books” that will be read by two readers.

I actually didn't make those numbers up out of thin air. I was looking at IngramSpark's How To Price an Ebook:

Due to the lending model that libraries have, it's always in the author's best interest to price their ebook 2.5 times higher than when selling through ebook retail stores.

So romance books with a price range from $3-5 (times 2.5) would give you ten books.

Serious nonfiction with prices between $10-15 (times 2.5) would give you three books.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by issybird

I recall you thought that so long as a library served its romance patrons it was doing its job; so much for the outliers. This is similar. People who like history “could” read romance instead; they just don’t wanna .

That's a pretty gross misrepresentation of the conversation we had about that.


Out of interest, just checked my two Overdrive libraries. The local one doesn't seem to have ordered Spare yet at all. QPL currently projecting a wait time of 18 weeks.

I checked a less-popular book - a recent mid-list Fantasy release I'm interested in, All That It Ever Meant. 1 copy, available in two weeks.

[Fat Abe]

I visit my local library once or twice a week. I wonder what their budget is for paper books, ebooks, building maintenance, librarian salaries and security. We citizens do seem to take libraries for granted. However, I was amazed to see lots of school children make use of the Honolulu libraries.
Nationally, the libraries need endowments, just as concert halls, universities, and museums do. A story from over six years ago describes a janitor who willed a large sum of money to his local library and hospital.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/29/jani...n-fortune.html

It may be time for billionaires to step up as donors. Ebooks have revolutionized the proliferation of knowledge. High tech companies owe their livelihood to software and hardware engineers. If a state like Oklahoma can build a world class e-library system, then so can more populous states. Instead of adopting a highway, adopt a library.

[Fiat_Lux]

Originally Posted by Fat Abe

I visit my local library once or twice a week. I wonder what their budget is for paper books, ebooks, building maintenance, librarian salaries and security

The budget is somewhere between inadequate and grossly inadequate.
Interlibrary loan material is no longer available through my library, even if I am willing to pay all of the costs involved in the transaction.