Damn that’s a long title! I shortened it some but just didn’t have the time to chop it anymore 🙂

Of course, it is a good thing that all the old-established business models binding print books, libraries and universities — as well as the old relationships b/t publishers, authors, agents, retailers and others — are being ‘re-thunk‘. After all ‘digital changes everything’ is an oft quoted publishers’ sentiment.

For those of you who just never had a reason to know, you won’t believe the intricacies involved in the old relationship (decades in development) between print publishers and community libraries, for instance. And how library lending policies were affected by the antitrust laws and the interaction b/t the American Library Association (ALA), Readers First group and the Association of American Publishers (AAP).

Tonight’s post clearly explains this print-publisher-library-lending-relationship — only to lead up to the big conundrum currently facing the publishing industry:

Establishing an effective e-publisher-library-lending policy and relationship 🙂 This is proving to be a real mental exercise.

After all, ‘e-books don’t wear out, so they can be loaned indefinitely. Customers don’t need to go to the library to check one out. E-books’ retail costs are less than those of hardcover books. The problem of digital piracy, particularly the widespread distribution of pirated library copies, is a significant risk. In our current digital culture, it’s clear that the old publisher/library model cannot be replicated without eroding book sales in the broader market or diminishing copyright protection for those who create content.’ – Tom Allen.

Publishers and librarians agree that new e-lending business models are needed now. But, what would these be?

The ALA’s “EBook Business Models for Public Libraries,” is a good start and also explained in tonight’s post — So, enjoy this insight by AAP president, Tom Allen, written for Bangor Daily News (BDN):

E-books strain relationship between book publishers and libraries

Book publishers often say, “Digital changes everything.”

They mean that the astonishing growth of digital content, the constantly expanding range of devices for reading and the rapid development of digital educational, scholarly and scientific materials are disrupting established business models and relationships between publishers, authors, agents, retailers and others. In addition, e-books constitute a disruptive technology that is altering the terms of engagement with publishers’ historic partners such as libraries and universities, and complicating new ones with “frenemies” such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft.

Over many decades, book publishers and community libraries evolved a relatively uniform business model for books in print. Publishers sold copies of print books to libraries at established prices with the understanding that those books would be available to some people who could not afford or would otherwise not purchase them, and to others whose interest would be stimulated enough to purchase a copy. Libraries would loan books sequentially to one reader at a time, and the customer would visit the library to check out books and return them. This carefully managed arrangement suited the interests of libraries and publishers and carried substantial benefits for the public.

Enter e-books. They don’t wear out, so they can be loaned indefinitely. Customers don’t need to go to the library to check one out. E-books’ retail costs are less than those of hardcover books. The problem of digital piracy, particularly the widespread distribution of pirated library copies, is a significant risk. In our current digital culture, it’s clear that the old publisher/library model cannot be replicated without eroding book sales in the broader market or diminishing copyright protection for those who create content.

Book publishers and librarians agree that new business models for e-lending are essential. But what would these be? And how do these longtime partners reach some middle ground?

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The Rapid Rise of Digital Educational, Scholarly and Scientific Materials is Screwing Terms of Engagement B/T Publishers, Libraries and Universities