We’d love to have the latest eBooks by Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, Bill O’Reilly, Rick Riordan, and many more.  However, many publishers refuse to sell eBooks to libraries.  Or, they sell them at inflated prices (100 to 300% more) or with borrowing restrictions that require libraries to purchase the same title again and again. We are confused and frustrated by publishers’ unwillingness to allow libraries to be part of a fair eBook marketplace.

The Cumberland County Library System has joined with nearly 200 library systems from the United States and Canada to demand improved eBook services for library users.  We’ve signed a joint statement, the ReadersFirst Initiative, that calls for eBook content providers and distributors to make it easier for you to download eBooks and help us lift restrictions on what libraries can offer to you.

Learn More!

Find out how the Big Six Publishers are handling eBooks and libraries:

• Ebooks and Libraries – Frequently Asked Questions (American Library Association)
• Pricing Comparison from Douglas County Libraries (CO) (PDF; 213KB, 1 page) 
• The Wrong War Over eBooks: Publishers Vs. Libraries  (Forbes Magazine, December 11, 2012)

Take Action!

Send an email to publishers asking them to allow libraries to participate fairly in the eBook marketplace.

• Subject Line: Fair eBook Marketplace for Libraries
• Send a copy of your email to the Cumberland County Library System at .

Suggested Message:

I have long supported your company with my book purchases and through borrowing books from my local library system, the Cumberland County Library System in Pennsylvania.

I have recently learned that some publishers refuse to sell eBooks to libraries.  Others sell them at exorbitantly high prices, charging 100 to 300% more than I might pay for the same title.  Others limit the number of times an eBook can be borrowed to 26 times, and then require the library to purchase the same title again. 

How can you support these policies?   Libraries should be able to participate fairly in the eBook marketplace, buying all titles that are available to consumers at reasonable prices.

Libraries represent some of the core values of our country — the freedom to read, the freedom to learn, and universal access to books.

Please consider changing your policy and allow libraries to be part of a fair and open eBook marketplace.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

 
Page updated April 11, 2013