Three Updates on the Macmillan Embargo

As the start date for Macmillan’s changed library e-book licensing model looms, the library community continues to respond.

Stacey Aldrich, State Librarian for Hawaii and President of Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) has written Macmillan CEO John Sargent a letter, explaining that COSLA” would like to engage with you more deeply on this topic.” The letter invites Mr. Sargent to the COSLA Annual meeting in early November to “talk about what is possible, and to help us better understand how you have determined this new model is the best for you as a publisher, but also for your key stakeholders: libraries, authors and readers.”

Aldrich makes several points:

The transition to digital content has been challenging at times for all, but throughout publishers and libraries have maintained a high level of respect for each other’s strengths and values, and ultimately a shared vision of a highly literate and engaged public for which each of us plays an important role.

Research has proven time and again that people who borrow books, buy books, and libraries serve as the primary way people are introduced to new titles and authors. Limiting libraries is a flawed marketing strategy and certainly not positive PR for a publisher held in such high national esteem with such a long history of promoting authors and delighting readers.

 We are also beholden to the community of readers. They want to know why there are not enough e-copies available of books, and we again must explain the model. Despite our explanations, which include rationale from the publisher perspective, funders and readers can make little sense of the situation.

Readers want choice of formats to support their reading habits. Our public libraries are buying more copies than ever to satisfy this desire and are paying more to do it. The cost of a single title with varying formats (print, electronic, audio) can be upwards of $140 initially, with additional investment required as various lending model terms kick in. That initial investment in a single title can easily balloon to $200 and more over time. This model is not sustainable.

COSLA understands that there are challenges for thinking about business models in the 21st century, and we also believe there are better ways than squeezing public libraries out of access for their communities.

RF hopes that Mr. Sargent will accept the invitation and engage in productive dialog. But we aren’t hoping our breath.

While dialog is perhaps not a carrot, at least one large library has decided to apply the stick. Lisa Rosenblum of King County has sent a message to Urban Library Council directors announcing a boycott of Macmillan.

Despite months of discussion and advocacy, Macmillan continues its position to embargo multiple copies of ebooks.

Therefore, effective November 1st, KCLS will no longer purchase ebooks from Macmillan. Instead we will divert our ebook funds to those publishers who are willing to sell to us.

We encourage all public libraries to join us. We know there are many opinions among public library staff of why this a good and not so good idea. So I offer you two reasons why we have decided to go this route. One is pragmatic, the other is principled.

We have pledged to our readers that we will limit wait time for any one title to around 3 months. Not allowing us to purchase multiple copies of an ebook for two months artificially lengthens the queue, triggering more of the same title to be purchased than would have occurred if we had been allowed to buy for the first two months. With an ever increasing demand to buy a wide variety of digital titles we do not think this is the best use of public funds. For those who are worried about access to their materials, we will continue to buy good old fashioned print copies of Macmillan titles.

The 2nd speaks to the core philosophy we all adopted almost 30 years ago, to create timely access to customer driven collections. We do not want other publishers to follow the example of Macmillan and embargo books. To do so profoundly changes the public library.

I think Kent Oliver recently said it best, “Most troubling of all is the indirect message this embargo sends, which is only those who are able and willing to pay for literature and information deserve to have access to it as soon as it is available, that philosophy goes against everything we stand for”

We hope you will join KCLS. The more of us who do, the stronger the message to all of our publishers.

Librarians will always feel an inner emptiness when not providing titles in a timely fashion in our community members format of choice, and no doubt this decision is not easily reached. Some might question it as playing directly into Macmillan’s hands, forcing digital readers to buy if they want access. RF’s view is that, while perhaps only legislative and legal action may level the field for library readers, this boycott is necessary and well-deserved. We encourage libraries to join ranks and stand with King County.

This brings us to our third news item: the ALA has announced that over 100,000 readers have joined #eBooksForAll campaign against the planned embargo. Have you signed yet? If not, please do!