Public libraries are en vogue again now that e-readers and e-books are so popular, and publishers are wary of the rage. To the dismay of many and the surprise of few, HarperCollins Publishers has set its e-books to run out after 26 rentals — effectively giving them around a one-year shelf life (assuming 2 weeks per rental x 26 = 52 weeks). So now cash-strapped public libraries should pony up license fees on an annual basis for the reason that publisher is bothered that “selling e-books to libraries in perpetuity, if left unchanged, would undermine the emerging e-book ecosystem.” In other words, HarperCollins thinks lending e-books is costing the corporate money it may well make selling them. The publisher is the primary to regard library e-books differently from hard copies, and the policy change has caused some librarians to forestall purchasing HarperCollins e-books. Should the recent licensing scheme become a trend, we will see if libraries are forced to forestall the electronic lending party.
[Thanks, Scott]
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