08-29-2012, 11:25 AM | #31 |
Media Junkie
Posts: 278
Karma: 2039392
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Device: Kobo Libra H20, Kindle PW
|
"Quote:
. . . how come print publishers didn't refuse to sell books to libraries? The question cannot arise because anyone, including the government, can legally buy paper books." Exactly the problem. Why are ebooks treated differently? Who got to decide that these overbearing, intrusive restrictions on ebooks are okay? |
08-29-2012, 01:19 PM | #32 |
Wizard
Posts: 4,465
Karma: 6900052
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: The Heart of Texas
Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,
|
Hmm... why were public libraries established in the first place? Was it intended that
they become an entertainment facility? Is the library there to dispense government approved leisure activity? (Perhaps to the Greeks and Romans, but why were they included in modern societies?) I always thought, at least here in the USA, they were intended to provide for an informed citizenry, a place of study to allow access to the knowledge and history contained in the very rare and relatively expensive tombs of the day. (I doubt that the "Penny Dreadfuls", and Panflits were allowed in the earlier libraries.) It may be that the current afterschool daycare facilities that we are calling Libraries have devolved to a point that they can not in anyway compete with the internet as a source of the information and study material for today's citizenry. I personally do not rate the services provided by our current community based library system, with a small library in every neighborhood, as anywhere as effective as access to the intenet, for the original purpose of providing for an informed citizenry. I find it troubling that we should want them to be provided to us as a source of "free" entertainment, from our governmental structure. Luck; Ken |
Advert | |
|
08-29-2012, 01:27 PM | #33 |
Philosopher
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 18736532
Join Date: Jan 2012
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch
|
If you don't like your library stocking DVDs, you are free to lobby your library system to stop carrying them. It's small government in action. The purpose of libraries has always been to provide books. Whether they should expand into DVDs, music and internet access is a decision the library system can make, in some cases, it's a decision made at the county level, at others at the city level.
|
08-29-2012, 07:15 PM | #34 |
Addict
Posts: 208
Karma: 1203096
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Device: Nexus 7, Blackberry PlayBook, Nexus 4, ChromeBook
|
A very interesting assessment of the current situation with ebooks in libraries. We'd all like to see more available but expansion is facing some constraints.
What if public sentiment turned so strongly against the "selfish and greedy" publishers that the public demanded libraries to ignore the publisher's restrictions and make ebooks widely available as a public service? Unlikely in the US, perhaps, but feasible in jurisdictions with a more socialistic bent? This thing could go political! (Think: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore") |
08-29-2012, 10:56 PM | #35 | |
Evangelist
Posts: 456
Karma: 1044878
Join Date: Apr 2009
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 4
|
Quote:
|
|
Advert | |
|
08-30-2012, 09:41 AM | #36 |
Bookaholic
Posts: 14,391
Karma: 54969924
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minnesota
Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +
|
|
08-30-2012, 11:24 AM | #37 | |
Wizard
Posts: 1,601
Karma: 9211856
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini
|
Quote:
Voracious readers of genre fiction and fiction series do this all the time. I can't speak as much for other readers. I really cannot even quantify the number of authors' books I have bought after discovering the author at the library--the number is too high. |
|
08-30-2012, 04:57 PM | #38 |
King of the Bongo Drums
Posts: 1,625
Karma: 5927225
Join Date: Feb 2009
Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)
|
Well, it's easy enough to deal with publishers refusing to sell ebooks to libraries, if that's what we want to do.
All we need is a simple legislative act: "No publisher, author, seller or reseller of ebooks may refuse to sell to a public library any copy of an ebook offered for sale to the general public." Or maybe: "There will be a 100% sales tax on the sale of any ebook which is not offered for sale to public libraries." Or: "DRM may not be used on any ebook not offered for sale to public libraries." Or: "The protection of copyright shall not extend to any ebook not offered for sale to public libraries at the same price as offered to other buyers." Or: "It being against public policy to restrict sales of books to libraries, no publisher which does so may, directly or indirectly, enforce such restriction in a court of law." It's not that I don't recognize the legitimate concerns of the publishers about feeding what amounts to a competitor the ability to lend out multiple ebooks at the same time for free, based on the purchase of only one ebook. But there are ways to handle that concern. I don't see any reason that ebooks can't be dealt with by libraries on the same footing as pbooks are. The publishers are way overreaching in their refusal to sell ebooks to public libraries. So if the publishers insist on continuing in that vein, maybe we should start pushing for a law stating that libraries may purchase ebooks from any source, and lend them without restriction on any terms they see fit, including without DRM. Last edited by Harmon; 08-31-2012 at 12:40 AM. |
08-30-2012, 05:30 PM | #39 | |
Enthusiast
Posts: 41
Karma: 102
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: New Zealand
Device: Kindle 3, Kobo. iPad, iPhone
|
Quote:
I agree |
|
08-30-2012, 07:20 PM | #40 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 11,732
Karma: 128354696
Join Date: May 2009
Location: 26 kly from Sgr A*
Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000
|
Konrath and Crouch talk libraries, too:
http://jakonrath.blogspot.ca/2012/08...libraries.html Quote:
He wishes. There are 122,000 libraries in the US. At $3.99 per title, that is just short of half a million per title. A pretty good deal for most any writer not named Rowling or King. As I said, the libraries need to reconsider their book acquistion processes. |
|
08-30-2012, 08:39 PM | #41 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 7,149
Karma: 39600000
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: near Philadelphia USA
Device: Kindle Kids Edition, Fire HD 10 (11th generation)
|
Quote:
While the anger against big publishers is real on this board, some is the ramping up that's almost inevitable when opinionated and somewhat like-minded people get together. I can't believe the general public would feel so strongly about publishers as to make regulating them a big public issue. I suppose that if publishers start making Apple/Microsoft-style profit margins, public sentiment could turn against them, but don't count on it. Last edited by SteveEisenberg; 08-30-2012 at 09:25 PM. |
|
08-31-2012, 07:33 AM | #42 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 11,732
Karma: 128354696
Join Date: May 2009
Location: 26 kly from Sgr A*
Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000
|
Quote:
To get that kind of action from the general public you would need extensive media-prodding (like the regular "unhealthy food" scandals) to grease the skids and that will never happen as the mainstream media is (incestuosly) in bed with the giant multinational publishers. Also, the general public in many (most?) doesn't care enough about libraries to fund them properly or even use them much. Let's nor forget that the general public is composed of *three* segments: avid readers, casual readers, and non-readers. The latter make a plurality in most areas, if not outright majorities. This is one case where counting on government to step in and "save us" isn't going to happen. If libraries are to be "saved" they'll have to do it themselves by banding together and leveraging their collective buying power. (As I said above: 122,000 libraries. Add thir total book-buying budgets and the BPHs will listen. Or else.) Last edited by fjtorres; 08-31-2012 at 07:35 AM. |
|
08-31-2012, 01:07 PM | #43 | |
Addict
Posts: 219
Karma: 2617122
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: North Carolina
Device: NOOK ST, Nexus 7
|
Quote:
And if you consider the reason for that information sharing to be, well, an informed citizenry, what do we consider "well-informed?" It is merely fact-based, non-fiction type info? If so, why have libraries traditionally carried fiction and other cultural-based items? I think the answer is that is intended as a base for the community's intellectual exploration and growth in a wide variety of topics. This includes current cultural artifacts such as popular movies on DVD, CDs from contemporary musicians, and >shudder< the Twilight novels. It also includes traditional and modern classics in film, literature, politics, economics, science, etc. If some choose to only explore a small segment of the diversity this resource has to offer them, that's their loss. As local entities, there is also a range success with managing the system. In my area (Durham, NC) I find the county library system to be quite good. |
|
08-31-2012, 01:36 PM | #44 | |
Addict
Posts: 208
Karma: 1203096
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Device: Nexus 7, Blackberry PlayBook, Nexus 4, ChromeBook
|
Quote:
Publically funded like schools. After all, who can argue with Literacy? It ranks right up there with Motherhood and Apple Pie! |
|
08-31-2012, 04:34 PM | #45 | |
Grand Master of Flowers
Posts: 2,201
Karma: 8389072
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Naptown
Device: Kindle PW, Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard), iPhone, iPad 3 (not for reading)
|
Quote:
So I don't think that any sort of library compulsion is likely in these countries. |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Ursula LeGuin pressured to write more like Harry Potter | BeccaPrice | General Discussions | 13 | 08-04-2012 06:42 PM |
Ebooks for Libraries - A Petition | Meemo | General Discussions | 7 | 05-06-2012 03:00 PM |
Should Libraries Charge for eBooks? | tubemonkey | General Discussions | 132 | 07-07-2011 02:02 PM |
Ursula LeGuin | James_Wilde | Reading Recommendations | 34 | 11-10-2010 10:13 AM |
ebooks in UK libraries? | ravenlife | Lounge | 8 | 08-15-2009 12:30 PM |