Upper Hudson Library System to Boycott Major Publisher’s E-books

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Upper Hudson Library System to Boycott Major Publisher’s E-books

Albany, NY - The Upper Hudson Library System (UHLS) announced today that the 29 public libraries serving Albany and Rensselaer Counties have decided to boycott all future electronic content purchases from HarperCollins Publishers, one of the world’s largest publishing houses. The decision to boycott is in reaction to a recent HarperCollins policy change in the sale of their e-book titles that establishes a license limit of 26 checkouts per title on all e-books purchased for library use.

Electronic books (e-books or e-content) are digital files that are purchased by public libraries and made available to library users who can download the book onto their e-reader or other mobile device for use for a limited checkout period just like traditional library books. With the recent proliferation of these devices, the use of e-content at local libraries has increased dramatically in the last six months. The UHLS member libraries have begun to devote more of their limited materials budgets to build their e-content collections to meet this demand.

This new policy requires libraries to re-purchase HarperCollins e-books after the book has been checked out 26 times, which is a radical departure from the purchase agreements used by other e-content publishers, who typically sell the library the use of the file for as long as the library wants to provide it to their users.

”The UHLS member libraries felt strongly that this was a change that would hurt libraries and library users and that we needed to push back," said Timothy Burke, UHLS Executive Director. "The policy change works contrary to what library consortia are designed to do. We are trying to share resources to stretch the taxpayer dollar as far as possible. We understand the profit motive of the publishers, but they are losing sight of the purpose of libraries and consortia. We are driven by service to our users."

An open letter from the Upper Hudson Library System was sent to the publisher, posted on the UHLS website, and shared with member libraries. The letter informs HarperCollins of the boycott decision, explains why this new policy is harmful to libraries and library users, and urges the publisher to reconsider their decision. It also encourages HarperCollins and all publishers to work together with the library community on a mutually beneficial system to make information in this new format available to library users.

In a March 7, 2011 article in Library Journal.com, UHLS was listed along with library consortia in Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Missouri as the leaders in the push back movement against HarperCollins.

Breaking down the boundary: beyond the book

I'm out to dinner with friends and am introduced to a few new people.  The topic of 'profession' comes up.  Then it comes out that I am librarian.  After the initial "Do you need a degree for that?" they move on to:  "Oh!  You must love to read."  And while I do love to read, preferrably YA and Juvenile literature which is socially unacceptable unless one is activly involved in the education of children, I think beyond the books.  Not only can a person borrow books at a public library but he or she can also download music, videos, books, and audiobooks to a computer, smartphone or e-reader.  It is important to recognize all the avenues people are able to obtain infomation; books are not the only source of information and information is not only history and facts.  Information comes from interacting with a person, sharing a story, listening, and talking.  For preschoolers, social interaction through a story hour is important so they learn to interact with peers.  For early tweens and teens, it's important to remember the importance of positive social interaction, adult role models, and creative activity.  These developmental assets are key factors to create an environemnts for children to mature into responsible and healthy adults. 

Check these out:
40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents
40 Developmental Assets for Middle Childhood
40 Developmental Assets for Children Grades K-3

Crunch

Leslie Connor's newest book, Crunch is a story about a young man determined to help a community challenged by the lack of oil.  While mom and dad are stranded in their big rig, Dewey and his siblings are left alone to manage a small farm and a family bike shop.  Crunch explores the independence and determination of a teenager and how he balances a responsibility to his family with a demanding bike shop.

Contact your elected official!

"Dear Library Advocate, a modified version of the ELFA Article VII bill (S.2026/A.2289) that will authorize the distribution of designated system aid, continue hold harmless provisions and enable SED Commissioner to grant waivers from local maintenance of effort requirements in order to receive Library Aid, is on committee agendas today in both the Senate and Assembly (see below).  So please visit www.nyla.org and click on Contact Your Elected Officials button to send fax/email to your state legislator urging them to past this bill as soon as possible.  Thank you."  Michael Borges