Libraries May Lend HarperCollins E-Books Just 26 Times… Before Having to Pay Again
March 9th, 2011Via: ABC News:
In what is shaping up to be a major battle over e-book lending, librarians across the country have banded together to boycott HarperCollins after the publisher decided it would limit the number of times an e-book can be checked out.
Under a new policy started Monday, HarperCollins will allow libraries lend out a digital version of a book just 26 times before the license expires. After that, the libraries must pay to lease the e-book again, so that another 26 readers can check out the book.
As more readers migrate to digital books and e-readers, publishers are under increasing pressure to create new business models to help them turn a profit. But since HarperCollins annnounced its decision last month, librarians have taken to the Web in protest, saying the plan will ultimately bring libraries to their knees.
I think something like this is long overdue. Public libraries just give out books and totally reduce the amount of money an author could make.