From Lisa Sallee and Will Stuivenga (2 great advocates for library digital content) comes this ALA webinar:
eBook Acquisition and Licensing Issues in Public Libraries
· Email
Tuesday, 12/20/2022 - Wednesday, 12/21/2022
[hide times]
- 10:00 AM-6:00 PM (Eastern)
- 9:00 AM-5:00 PM (Central)
- 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (Mountain)
- 7:00 AM-3:00 PM (Pacific)
Public Library eBook and eAudiobook collections are facing difficult circumstances due to the increasing use of restrictive (metered) licensing models by major publishers, including licenses that expire after a specified period (e.g., 12 or 24 months) or after a limited number of checkouts. Originally confined mostly to eBooks, publishers are increasingly applying similar restrictive licenses to audiobooks as well. The Covid pandemic and resultant lockdowns put increased pressure on digital collections, with many libraries shifting budgets from print to digital in response. Metered licenses purchased during this period are now expiring, creating a sustainability crisis for many libraries, especially those with limited budgets.
This e-Forum will explore some of the ramifications of this situation, asking and discussing how libraries are coping, with the goal of sharing techniques and methods used to mitigate or manage these kinds of problems. Some of the practical questions to be considered include:
- What is the approximate balance between budgeting for new content for your eBook/eAudio collection vs. money used to fill holds, reduce wait times, and to replace expired licenses?
- What holds ratio does your library use for its eBook/eAudio collection and why? Have you made use of varying holds ratios for different publishers, different license models, or different price points?
- Are expired licenses routinely weeded, or allowed to remain in your eBook collection? What criteria are used for deciding when or whether to replace expired licenses?
If you have question, need assistance, or would like to propose an e-Forum topic, please write to core-eforum+help@groups.io.
The Internet Archive and Moement for a wetter Internet have released a report, "Securing Digital Rights for Libraries."
You can download and read the free, openly-licensed report HERE.
We encourage you to read it and join us next Thursday, December 8th for a webinar discussion about the report with leaders from Internet Archive, Public Knowledge, Creative Commons, and the Association of Research Libraries. Come with your feedback, questions, and ideas for translating the conclusions of the report into actionable policy goals. We also encourage you to check out the Movement for a Better Internet, and join us there as we continue to work with different communities to build an internet that works better for everyone.
Best wishes,
Michael Blackwell
Director, St Mary's County Library
23630 Hayden Farm Lane
Leonardtown, MD 20650
301-475-2151 x5013
Cell phone: 301-904-3048
mblackwell@stmalib.org
