Sunday, November 7th, 2010

Library Friendly…

This publisher has pledged to support eBook lending for libraries.
(Find out more.)

The idea arose from an email I wrote on Web4Lib, which argued the rather dismal economics of ebooks in libraries, and noted that if “advocacy” was going to get anywhere it had better happen soon. After all, the ebook market is already about twice the size of the library market.

Anyway, my one constructive suggestion was to start the public campaign, to get publishers to commit publicly to a slate of lending rights for libraries.

To assist that effort, libraries (ALA?) should establish a “Good Housekeeping”- or “Organic”-style sticker that authors and publishers can slap on their books and webpages. By doing this they would get something in return for continuing First-Sale-style rights when they sell ebooks to libraries. They’d get a halo, a way for libraries to know what ebooks to buy and what publishers to support, and a way for regular readers to show their love for libraries in an ebook age.

Anyway, an idea. Lots to work out, of course.

Labels: ebooks

10 Comments:

  1. paul says:

    whatz interesting?

  2. Jan Elkins says:

    Now you are talking. This would be great!!!

  3. L. E. Draqonoviicht says:

    Uh……

    Who are you?

  4. L. E. Draqonoviicht says:

    Oh – Tim. lol Sorry.

    Anyway – Tim: Awesome idea. I fully agree that there is no excuse for things in this day / age, concerning book, publishers, libraries and eBooks…to NOT be making major changes in some very positive directions!

    Publishers: There should never be any book published, period, that is not in eBook form, and in ALL ebook formats. It’s obsurd for them to not be. The books exist in digital format on the computers of the Author, the Editor, the Publisher, the book Printer, the book Maker.

    The next step is then one which thanks to the Rock Mega-Group: Metalica….we now have U.S. Federal and International Consumer Copyright Usage Rights laws on the books; concerning what we can do with a copyright protected item, once we the consumer purchase one.
    – Personally, I would never purchase simply a ‘digital file’ copy of anything. Not a computer program, not a Song, not an eBook, nor anything else.
    If I’m spending my money I want a tangible version.
    – Along with the ‘tangible’ version I expect, as has been established, due to the efforts of ‘Metalica’, the right to a FREE digital version of the item.

    With all MUSIC, we ALL, upon purchase of a Music CD, have the legal right to stick it into our computers and make a, ‘for personal use’ digital version, copy of the Music.
    – As per Books: The technology does not exist, to where it is possible to shove a tangible book, into my computer and have the computer make a digital, eBook, version for me.

    By already established LAW, – THANK YOU: METALICA!!!
    – Every time I by a tangible Book, I do get, ‘for personal use’ right, to a digital copy of the book!
    – We now just need to get the BOOK PUBLISHING world, to do the following:

    – Publish ALL Books in all digital eBook file formats.
    – Include with the purchase of ALL tangible books, some sort of code…(A Proof of Purchase code), that can be used on the Publishers website, to download a ‘for personal use’ digital eBook copy of the book.
    – Then we Bibliophiles, need to band together in a Grassroots campaign, to get the publishers to issue FREE, eBook copies of all books to Public Libraries and Public School Libraries / Public College Libraries / Public University Libraries.
    — These library issued eBooks could be used by the publishers as Tax Right-offs, since they would be ‘contributions’ to ‘Tax Exempt’ ‘Charitable Orgs.’.
    — These Would also need to have Digital Rights Usage software code, written into them, So that the libraries could have only…let’s say: 5 copies, ‘loaned-out’ to Library Patrons’ at any given time. These ebooks would automatically expire, in the Library Patrons possession on the Library Due Date.

    ALL OF THIS IS CURRENT TECHNOLOGY!

    THERE IS NO REASONABLE EXCUSE FOR ALL OF THIS TO NOT BE CURRENTLY HAPPENING!

    ALL OF THIS IS NOT CURRENTLY HAPPENING, simply because WE, are NOT making the PUBLISHING WORLD DO IT!

  5. Lars Hagelin says:

    Request permission to use the image for personal, non-commercial purposes, please?