New lending and purchasing models place financial burdens and time limitations on library
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – Recent moves by book publishers to limit library access to eBooks and
eAudiobooks will create increased financial burdens for libraries and wait times for patrons.
The eBook collection at Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) is so popular that the system’s digital circulation
now ranks within the top twenty in the nation. Library cardholders of PPLD have already surpassed one
million checkouts on OverDrive this year, one of several eBook services offered by the Library District.
Hachette, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Blackstone Publishing, and Macmillian Publishers,
among others, are changing their lending models for eBooks and eAudiobooks. While these changed lending
models vary slightly from publisher to publisher, each change limits library access to digital books and will
increase wait times for new releases and other titles.
“Unfortunately, these drastic steps by book publishers are putting Pikes Peak Library District in an
extraordinarily difficult position,” said John Spears, Chief Librarian and CEO of PPLD. “Our digital circulation is
incredibly high, and we know these new measures are going to increase wait times for our patrons.”
Most of the changes include new purchasing models, so that instead of libraries having perpetual access to
each book they purchase, they have to re-purchase the books after two years.
Macmillan Publishers is going as far as to impose an eight-week embargo on public libraries for the purchase
of new eBook titles, beginning Nov. 1. Libraries may only purchase a single copy of new eBook titles during the
first eight weeks of its release, during which time the titles will be available through marketplace vendors.
“This is an equal access issue for our patrons,” Spears says. “We know that not everyone with a library card
will be able to bypass these increased wait times by simply purchasing the digital book somewhere else, and
they shouldn’t have to. We urge publishers to reverse or modify these changes, and encourage our patrons to
speak out if they agree.”
Those who want to voice opposition to these lending model changes can take action at
ebooksforall.org, a national initiative of the American Library Association urging publishers to reverse their new lending models.
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Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) seeks to engage and transform people’s lives by providing equitable access
to information, enrichment opportunities, and community connections via 14 facilities, online resources, and
mobile library services. It is a nationally recognized system of public libraries serving a population of more than
650,000 across 2,070 square miles in El Paso County, Colo.