If you've ever put a hold on an eBook in Libby and the wait time is something crazy like 80 weeks, the state of Illinois is trying to fix that. Libraries are happy to purchase eBooks and eAudio, but pricing and licensing on eBook purchases is complicated and much more of a financial burden than buying physical books.
Here's an example: There's a book coming out on April 7 that I'm excited to read - The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clark (which is actually V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke!).
Here's what NPL would pay for this book:
- Physical book - about $17
- eBook - about $50*
- Physical audiobook - about $45
- eAudio - about $88
*A note on that eBook - it's limited to 26 checkouts. After the 26th checkout that eBook is automatically removed. Physical books hold up to more than 26 checkouts - I've seen kids books with 150 checkouts! (And they in perfect shape? No, but they are well loved!)
This is pretty representative of eBooks and eAudio in comparison to physical items. Pricing has continued to increase on these items that are essentially computer files!
While we'd love to purchase enough copies of an ebook to bring the wait times down, our dollars stretch much further by purchasing the physical items, even with the supplies and staff time it takes to receive and prepare each item for checkout.
Here's how the Illinois House is trying to help. The Illinois Library Association is getting the word out about HB 5236.
"HB 5236, also known as the Digital Library Protection Act, establishes fair contract term protections for libraries purchasing digital content.
Right now, publishers charge libraries nearly four times the consumer price for eBooks, and those licenses expire, so libraries don’t own the titles and they are forced to repurchase the same content year after year. This causes a growing financial burden and requires libraries to raise or reallocate funds from other needs to meet growing patron demand.
HB5236 gives libraries the ability to negotiate reasonable terms for eContent that protects them and their taxpayers while fairly compensating authors and publishers."
More about the Digital Library Protection Act
More about eBook and eAudio Pricing
This bill is currently with the Consumer Protection Committee and you can help. Witness slips can be signed in support of the Digital Library Protection Act right now.
How to submit a Witness Slip:
Go to HB 5236
Identification: submit your information
Representation: Self
Position: Original Bill, Proponent
Testimony: Record of Appearance Only
Agree to Terms of Agreement: Check the box
Submit: Create Slip
Thank you!
At Normal Public Library we strive to be good stewards of our valuable resources. We love offering multiple ways to read and listen to books but it's certainly a balance of how to best spend our taxpayer-funded budget! Other states are working on their own legislation in an effort to push publishers (who are setting these prices) to help libraries instead of charging them more just because they are sharing the materials they are buying. With physical books we can shop around for the best prices and often get excellent discounts from our book vendors. We just want the same for our digital content.