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A few years ago, I attempted to work out what a circulation cost us calculating things like our collection budget, staff budget, etc. vs number of circs. It cam

A few years ago, I attempted to work out what a circulation cost us calculating things like our collection budget, staff budget, etc. vs number of circs. It came out to about $2.50 or so. Keep in mind there are some serious limitations; for example, the buildings are a fixed cost and there would need to be a precipitous drop in circulation to lay off staff, but it gave a rough idea of what it costs to buy something, check it out, re-shelve it, etc.

TylerE 4y ago
That’s higher than I expected. Sounds like it’s not that far from a point where it’d be cheaper to just print a book on demand, mail it, and tell ‘em to just keep it or pass it on.
- cosmie 4y ago
  All else being equal, it could very well be logistically cheaper. But to publishers, increasing the volume of printed copies of a given title is absolutely not equal to a library purchasing a single copy and physically handling it in circulation until it naturally degrades to the point of being trashed. Physically printing brand new copies for patrons to keep every time a book was 'checked-out' would pose such a materially large impact on sales volume that publishers flat out wouldn't allow it. Even a perpetual license to loan a single copy of an ebook can cost a library upwards of $100[1], due to potential revenue impact to publishers/authors from having it in circulation in perpetuity without physical deterioration naturally limiting it's lifetime/volume of loans. And the number of simultaneous loans for a given title is generally restricted to the number of individual licenses you've paid for. If that's the case even for ebooks, you can imagine what they'd require to print a title on demand and give it away to a patron forever. [1] https://www.authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/a-new-twist-in-ebook-library-licensing-fees/ https://www.authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/a-new-twist-i...
- stinkytaco 4y ago
  It would be. Making unlimited ebooks available would be even cheaper than that. But neither of those really fits the business model of the publisher. A public library is already a compromise in the eyes on many publishers.

TylerE 4y ago

That’s higher than I expected. Sounds like it’s not that far from a point where it’d be cheaper to just print a book on demand, mail it, and tell ‘em to just keep it or pass it on.

cosmie 4y ago
All else being equal, it could very well be logistically cheaper. But to publishers, increasing the volume of printed copies of a given title is absolutely not equal to a library purchasing a single copy and physically handling it in circulation until it naturally degrades to the point of being trashed. Physically printing brand new copies for patrons to keep every time a book was 'checked-out' would pose such a materially large impact on sales volume that publishers flat out wouldn't allow it. Even a perpetual license to loan a single copy of an ebook can cost a library upwards of $100[1], due to potential revenue impact to publishers/authors from having it in circulation in perpetuity without physical deterioration naturally limiting it's lifetime/volume of loans. And the number of simultaneous loans for a given title is generally restricted to the number of individual licenses you've paid for. If that's the case even for ebooks, you can imagine what they'd require to print a title on demand and give it away to a patron forever. [1] https://www.authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/a-new-twist-in-ebook-library-licensing-fees/ https://www.authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/a-new-twist-i...
stinkytaco 4y ago
It would be. Making unlimited ebooks available would be even cheaper than that. But neither of those really fits the business model of the publisher. A public library is already a compromise in the eyes on many publishers.