Publishers Declare War on Libraries - Brilliant Move

Elsewhere in the news: ski-makers declare war on ski-resorts (where skis are frequently rented).

I have previously noted Cory Doctorow talking sense on this topic.

Cory Doctorow: eBook durability is a feature, not a bug

guardian.co.uk: "HarperCollins' attempt to ensure ebooks in libraries can only be loaned out 26 times is indefensible ... "

HarperCollins's Open Letter to Librarians Shows That They Just Don't "Get It"

John Marwell's letter appears on Library Love Fest: "We spent many months examining the issues before making this change. We talked to agents and distributors, had discussions with librarians, and participated in the Library Journal e-book Summit and other conferences. Twenty-six circulations can provide a year of availability for titles with the highest demand, and much longer for other titles and core backlist. If a library decides to repurchase an e-book later in the book’s life, the price will be significantly lower as it will be pegged to a paperback price point. Our hope is to make the cost per circulation for e-books less than that of the corresponding physical book. In fact, the digital list price is generally 20% lower than the print version, and sold to distributors at a discount."

Will HarperCollins program print editions of books sold to libraries to spontaneously combust after 26 reads?

Another point: Setting aside the ridiculous notion of limiting usage on a sold edition of a book, the idea of digital prices being arbitrarily pegged 20% lower than hardcover or paper prices is equally absurd. In this way the cost of traditional print, paper and bind dictates the cost of e-editions? The tail wags the dog?

Do E-Book Users Need a Bill of Rights? (Librarians Think So)

NY Times: "Libraries may be on the front-lines of this latest battle, one that makes it clear that issues like DRM and lending policies can have troubling repercussions. Although the HarperCollins announcement impacts just lending through libraries, librarians are quick to point out that it isn't simply their institutions that will suffer."

This Library E-Book Will Self-Destruct After 26 Check Outs

NY Times: " ... imagine, if you will, a publishing company - oh, let's say HarperCollins - telling libraries that after checking out a book a certain number of times - oh, let's say 26 - that they've reached the cap on loans. The book can no longer be shared, and libraries need to return the copy or buy the book again. ... "

At ALA Midwinter, Brewster Kahle, Librarians Ponder The E-book Future

PW: "From research and pilot programs, digitization efforts and financial support for vendors, libraries have helped prepare the way for e-books. But now that the consumer market for e-books has taken off, are libraries in danger of being marginalized?"

Abdo Launches Digital Division

Family-owned midwestern library and educational publisher Abdo "has organized its digital publishing lines into Abdo Digital, a Web-based division that offers online access to e-book versions of Abdo print titles as well as new educational database products. ..."

OverDrive/Project Gutenberg Partnership

mediabistro.com: eBookNewser: "OverDrive, a digital library content provider, has partnered with Project Gutenberg to integrate content from Project Gutenberg to libraries that use the OverDrive platform. The Boston Public Library is the first library to take advantage of this. On Friday, Boston's library added more than 15,000 public domain eBooks from Project Gutenberg to its 'Virtual Branch' website."

OverDrive's Web-Based Distribution of Digital Media to Libraries

Information Today: "I'd been hearing some buzz this summer about various improvements made by OverDrive to its services for libraries-more content, mobile apps, simplified procedures, etc. OverDrive is a full-service digital distributor of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and video that first launched its online digital warehouse in 2000. So, I caught up with the company's vice president of marketing, David Burleigh, for an extended conversation on what's new and what's coming. While OverDrive offers publishers a secure, web-based, wholesale distribution service for the sale and delivery of digital media, I didn't get into the details of that side of the business. Our discussion focused on what OverDrive offers libraries and their patrons."