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E-Books for Us

Demand for e-books is at an all-time high, but library collections are being hijacked by corporations.

Love e-books? We do, too! Tap the comics to learn more, play games, and test your knowledge of e-book contracts.

1

The Price Is Wrong

The host of a game show says in a dialog bubble,

The Price Is Wrong

Big publishers charge libraries up to five times the cost of print for e-books that they must rebuy every two years. Digital textbooks can cost academic libraries over $600 for e-books that are limited to one user. These overpriced rentals are one way taxpayers are gouged by publishers.

Play the Game!

2

Whose Books Are These Anyway?

A mobster holds a contract in front of a skeptical librarian at a reception desk. Another mobster says in a dialog bubble, “Nice e-book contract ya got there. Be a shame if someone... renegotiated it.” The desk displays a sign that reads, “Contact your representatives about e-books!”

Whose Books Are These Anyway?

Unlike with print books, publishers and e-book vendors like OverDrive (Libby app) control the terms under which digital books can be loaned and purchased. This often results in restrictions on when e-books can be bought by libraries, as well as how many copies can be licensed or if they can be accessed by libraries at all.

Test Your Knowledge

“Digital content gives publishers more power over prices, because it allows them to treat libraries differently than they treat other kinds of buyers.”

Daniel Gross

New York Times

3

Do Not Pass Go

Do Not Pass Go

Copyright law allows libraries to make limited copies for interlibrary loans, disabled patrons, and preservation. But publishers use nonnegotiable digital licenses and contracts to disallow these activities, which are Constitutionally protected rights for print materials.

Play the Game!

4

The Vanishing
E-Books

Five road signs display satirical book covers and foreboding text about the imminent disappearance of books from the library collection. The Lion, The Witch, & The Waitlist is accompanied by text that reads, “Hurry! Expiring this Month!” And Then There Were None promises to be “Here Today, Gone to Borrow!” A highway runs through the center of the signs with a car at the end of the road falling off a ledge.

The Vanishing
E-Books

Public libraries now typically spend over 60% of their digital collection budget on content that will expire every two years. The rental model means titles are at risk of disappearing from collections and results in fewer books and other resources for library communities.

Test Your Knowledge

“The case of the vanishing e-books shows how tech monopolies hurt us not just as consumers, but as citizens.”

Geoffrey A. Fowler

The Washington Post

5

Big Publishing, or Big Brother?

A scared woman is holding an e-reader in her living room. Coming from the device is the torso of a big man with a short blond military haircut in a camouflage shirt and ICE vest with binoculars pointing to the woman. Text surrounding the image says,

Big Publishing, or Big Brother?

What does big tech mean to you? Does it include publishing companies? Big publishers have become data analytics firms, buying and selling your information to the highest bidder. Library contracts with publishers have a huge impact on your privacy.

Test Your Knowledge

6

Brighter Futures

A bright, colorful image of a future library showcases a hologram with a presenter standing under a whale, moonfish, and a soundwave from Capitol Records’s “A Whale of a Tale” 78 recording. We can also see a Maker Bot where a child is watching the printing of a 3-D unicorn and other patrons enjoying computers, e-readers, and print books provided by the library. Neon text over the welcome desk reads, “Access for everyone!”

Brighter Futures

Tell lawmakers you want a brighter future where harmful e-book contracts are a tale of the past. Library Futures’s legislative language provides a model to ensure e-books can be purchased, loaned, and preserved by libraries. Make a splash in your state by suggesting the e-book bill today!

Join the Campaign!
The host of a game show says in a dialog bubble,

The Price Is Wrong

Big publishers charge libraries up to five times the cost of print for e-books that they must rebuy every two years. Digital textbooks can cost academic libraries over $600 for e-books that are limited to one user. These overpriced rentals are one way taxpayers are gouged by publishers.

Play the Game!
A mobster holds a contract in front of a skeptical librarian at a reception desk. Another mobster says in a dialog bubble, “Nice e-book contract ya got there. Be a shame if someone... renegotiated it.” The desk displays a sign that reads, “Contact your representatives about e-books!”

Whose Books Are These Anyway?

Unlike with print books, publishers and e-book vendors like OverDrive (Libby app) control the terms under which digital books can be loaned and purchased. This often results in restrictions on when e-books can be bought by libraries, as well as how many copies can be licensed or if they can be accessed by libraries at all.

Test Your Knowledge

“Digital content gives publishers more power over prices, because it allows them to treat libraries differently than they treat other kinds of buyers.”

Daniel Gross

New York Times

Do Not Pass Go

Copyright law allows libraries to make limited copies for interlibrary loans, disabled patrons, and preservation. But publishers use nonnegotiable digital licenses and contracts to disallow these activities, which are Constitutionally protected rights for print materials.

Play the Game!
Five road signs display satirical book covers and foreboding text about the imminent disappearance of books from the library collection. The Lion, The Witch, & The Waitlist is accompanied by text that reads, “Hurry! Expiring this Month!” And Then There Were None promises to be “Here Today, Gone to Borrow!” A highway runs through the center of the signs with a car at the end of the road falling off a ledge.

The Vanishing
E-Books

Public libraries now typically spend over 60% of their digital collection budget on content that will expire every two years. The rental model means titles are at risk of disappearing from collections and results in fewer books and other resources for library communities.

Test Your Knowledge

“The case of the vanishing e-books shows how tech monopolies hurt us not just as consumers, but as citizens.”

Geoffrey A. Fowler

The Washington Post
A scared woman is holding an e-reader in her living room. Coming from the device is the torso of a big man with a short blond military haircut in a camouflage shirt and ICE vest with binoculars pointing to the woman. Text surrounding the image says,

Big Publishing, or Big Brother?

What does big tech mean to you? Does it include publishing companies? Big publishers have become data analytics firms, buying and selling your information to the highest bidder. Library contracts with publishers have a huge impact on your privacy.

Test Your Knowledge
A bright, colorful image of a future library showcases a hologram with a presenter standing under a whale, moonfish, and a soundwave from Capitol Records’s “A Whale of a Tale” 78 recording. We can also see a Maker Bot where a child is watching the printing of a 3-D unicorn and other patrons enjoying computers, e-readers, and print books provided by the library. Neon text over the welcome desk reads, “Access for everyone!”

Brighter Futures

Tell lawmakers you want a brighter future where harmful e-book contracts are a tale of the past. Library Futures’s legislative language provides a model to ensure e-books can be purchased, loaned, and preserved by libraries. Make a splash in your state by suggesting the e-book bill today!

Join the Campaign!