5 ms·
I think there's a bigger issue here. Currently the library buy's x copies of an ebook, which they can then distribute out to members. This is the model you're s
by selykg 5y ago
I think there's a bigger issue here. Currently the library buy's x copies of an ebook, which they can then distribute out to members. This is the model you're saying is bad.
But the benefit here is that the expense of the book is predetermined and controllable.
If you were to switch to a model where they're pay per use, fundamentally the amount is lower initially. But what happens when a book is incredibly popular and there aren't any limits on who can read that book. Now the library could be on the hook for a large bill that never would've happened had they had more control over the book. Sure, they could set a limit per book on the per use rules, but say they hit that limit in 6 months out of the year, now the book is just unavailable for the remaining 6 months?
I feel like per use complicates things. I hate the current model, too. But I don't think all libraries are super well funded.
- pavel_lishin 5y agoI don't think anyone in their right mind would say that e-books should be "pay per use" when borrowed at the library, any more than you'd institute a "pay per use" model with regular books, DVDs, etc.
- nkurz 5y agoI don't know if it disproves your "right mind" argument, but here's Overdrive's CEO explaining the advantages of their new "Cost per Circ" model whereby libraries pay a smaller cost for each checkout rather than purchasing items in advance: https://overdrivesteve.com/pursuing-the-holy-grail-of-library-ebook-models/ https://overdrivesteve.com/pursuing-the-holy-grail-of-librar...
- blacksmith_tb 5y agoYes, it could be that 'books' would only be available until they'd been 'borrowed' 100 times, at which point the library would have to buy/license additional 'copies' or patrons just couldn't read it any more. In some ways that seems fine, but there's a sadness to the idea of the library as a repository of knowledge going away, and being replaced by a vending machine.
- nfriedly 5y agoI think the current "3 copies out at a time" model also has a 100 borrows and then the library has to buy it again. limitation. (The number is probably higher than 100, though.) Edit: I was wrong, it's lower than 100. From the article: > In 2011, HarperCollins introduced a new lending model that was capped at twenty-six checkouts, after which a library would need to purchase the book again.
- selykg 5y agoFurther proof that the library system is just plain being broken by publishers. There's a lot of bad shit in this world, but oh boy do I wish some of our country's leaders would solve problems like this. We don't elevate youth or those around us by limiting access to knowledge.
- blacksmith_tb 5y agoThat passage though does provide some more details: "For a classic work, which readers were likely to check out steadily for years to come, a library might purchase a handful of expensive perpetual licenses. With a flashy best-seller, which could be expected to lose steam over time, the library might buy a large number of cheaper licenses that would expire relatively quickly." At least perpetual licenses are an option.