Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Book publishers curb library access to ebooks

From an article in today's Hamilton Sepecator..

Libraries are getting “caught in the middle” as publishers and others in the book world try to figure out how to make money off ebooks in the new age of publishing, says Hamilton Public Library’s chief librarian.

Last week Penguin announced it won’t allow libraries access to its new ebooks titles. This comes on the heels of a decision by HarperCollins Publishers in March to restrict libraries to circulating an ebook title only 26 times, after which they must buy another copy.

“It’s just one hiccup in the road,” said Ken Roberts, adding that he’s confident that public libraries will have an important place in the future.

Right now the selection of books and authors available digitally is inconsistent, especially considering some bestselling authors have refused ebook publication, he said.

U.S. publishers, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan, do not sell ebooks to libraries.

But regardless, the demand for digital books is growing.
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