Steve HerseyJun 21, 2024

So, something I heard recently on my local NPR station on borrowing ebooks vs. hardcover from your local library:
Apparently, the library pays ~$15 for a hardcover book, but ~$150 for the ebook - and the ebook is a LIMITED LICENSE for, say, 52 loans of that book. After which they have to pay ANOTHER $150 for the book, AGAIN.

The takeaway here: If you can get the hardcopy from the library instead of borrowing an ebook, please do so. The impact on their budget will be SIGNIFICANT.

Here's a related, but older, reference:
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/18/1118289764/the-surprising-economics-of-digital-lending

Show threadKate Nyhan is changing servers

@n1xnx Hi - as a librarian, I want everyone to read books in whatever format they prefer! But it's true that these terms are ridiculous. What we really need is legislation calling for fair e-book pricing and publishing practices.

This is a good campaign website:
https://ebooksforus.com/take-action/

Take Action

Digital books reduced the cost of reading for individuals, but big publishers are not passing along the cost savings to libraries.

Ebooks for Us
Jun 22, 2024 at 4:57amWeb
Show threadx0Jun 23, 2024
@kdnyhan @n1xnx That is actual discrimination against people with print disabilities, though it of course isn't the library's fault. I wonder if a case adjacent to the ADA could be made about something like that to sort of get the ball rolling.
Show threadsallie_curiousAug 2, 2024
@kdnyhan @n1xnx ok, i am all in!! Thanks for sharing, a great proposal to keep knowledge accessible to all!