There are several problems with letting
libraries lend ebooks, but there are also opportunities that could be a big help to our emerging digital publishing industry.
When the concept
of lending eBooks first emerged there was skepticism about its effectiveness.
If your local library is particularly tech - savvy you can also
lend ebooks using Wi - Fi.
The former might lose sales because libraries can
lend ebooks more efficiently (they need fewer websites than physical libraries) and they don't wear out or get lost.
On several occasions, we ended up talking about how
libraries lend ebooks and how that can affect sales, not unlike the discussions we had with some publishers.
He ca
n't lend the ebook to a friend, or he has to give his DRM vendor user authentication info to this friend.
Like many of you, we have wondered what Penguin means by saying they are re-evaluating
lending eBooks via libraries because of «security risks.»
It's been now ten years that public libraries have been
lending ebooks from HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, Harlequin, and Sourcebooks.
Many public libraries on the US and around the world
lend ebooks through OverDrive, 3M Cloud Library, and other services.
Overdrive books its billionth checkout (20 March 2018) The Digital Reader Overdrive just announced on their blog that they have loaned a billion ebooks since they first
started lending ebooks in 2003.
Its planned copyright changes to let libraries
lend ebooks with or without publisher permission shows it's not averse to forcing rightsholders» hands.
Currently, the negotiations surrounding Bilbary's partnership with those and some 2,300 other publishers are for ebook purchasing, although some of those major publishers are already at work
on lending the ebooks to users for a rental fee rather than a purchase price.
Perversely, libraries are likely to suffer too from the UK government mandate to
lend all ebooks free of charge.
Library systems across the country are
now lending eBooks in addition to physical ones, and you can read many of them on your Nook as well as any of Sony's new eReaders and Kobo's device.
When you
successfully lend an eBook you earn «Credits,» these credits are used to make «Requests» for other users ebook libraries.
Libraries are already struggling under the current impositions of trying to
lend ebooks while still working to reach patrons who are moving on due to new technology.
Whatever delightful innuendo B&N were hoping to facilitate by letting
people lend ebooks to each other on their Nooks goes out the window.
It's estimated that 75 % of the public libraries in the
US lend ebooks, a fact many people are surprised to hear.
Raphael objected to his idea that libraries could
stop lending ebook best sellers, focusing instead on «the backlist; on how we can promote people to read....
You can also borrow eBooks: Since I
mentioned lending eBooks, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that you should check with your local library to see if they have an eBook lending program.
Barnes and Noble take this a step further with a feature called Nook Friends, which allows users to setup social circles for
lending ebooks back and forth, and for sharing reading recommendations and reviews on Facebook and Twitter all from the Nook Touch directly.
Penguin Group today announced that it will be changing the terms on its library ebook lending program, and on Tuesday, April 2, will begin allowing libraries to purchase and
lend ebook titles the day that hardcover editions are released, according to The Associated Press.
Two years ago, publisher William Sieghart's review into remote e-lending said that public libraries should be able to
lend ebooks remotely.
The company explains that by some models, publishers can charge libraries
for lending an ebook to an individual either since the time of the borrowing or since the reader actually picks up the book and reads it.
The article cited certain moves by publishers like HarperCollins that are looking for creative ways to still be able to
lend ebooks through public libraries while still protecting the financial interests of all parties involved in the publication of a book.
Even though there hasn't been any official announcement yet, some public libraries have already
started lending ebooks for the Kindle.
Instead of selling ebooks for a one - time cost and allowing libraries to
lend these ebooks in perpetuity,... Read more >
Due to the Rakuten deal and shifting company priorities, they have ceased active duties
on lending ebooks.
The piece of the discussion that has caught my interest concerns the future availability of ebooks for public libraries to loan to patrons — and
whether lending ebooks to patrons should be part of any public library future.
Libraries
do lend ebooks, and thanks to services like OverDrive and Project Gutenberg, a library's collection can be larger and more diverse than Amazon's, especially since OverDrive was more careful about actually securing rights instead of just assuming it could do whatever it felt like.
This is a technical restriction (they don't have the capability yet) as opposed to a policy decision that OUP won't
lend ebooks via its own platform.
The Labour Party in the United Kingdom is calling for an independent task force to evaluate the notion
of lending ebooks.
Usually, you can't download library -
lent ebooks to a Kindle, unless the library uses Amazon's library system — which carries its own limitations.
A recent program for UK libraries to
lend ebooks has been considered not only a success for institutions and patrons, but also for publishers given the number of click through sales that resulted from borrows.