>Why would publishers offer libraries discounts? That's the point I'm trying to make. Physical materials, the materials libraries have built their workflows an

>Why would publishers offer libraries discounts? That's the point I'm trying to make. Physical materials, the materials libraries have built their workflows and budgets around, operate using different rules. Wholesalers will provide discounts because libraries buy lots of stuff and so better discounts mean moving more materials and, more importantly, stopping customers from going to another wholesaler. E-books have no wholesaler. They are controlled by the publisher so there is no going to a competitor for better pricing. Thus higher prices (in the realm of 3x the retail hardcover). That said, publishers have been lowering prices and increasing access slowly. Along with being competitors, libraries are customers, and big ones. Public libraries buy more that 1 billion in materials a year. That's a lot to walk away from because they are "competitors". My point was just to communicate that though libraries offer value, It's difficult to compete with something like Oyster at the moment.