Until recent times only the backlist of Hachette titles up until 2010 has been available for eLending. In May 2012 Hachette announced that it would run an eLending pilot project at a limited number of library services in the United States. To facilitate the pilot Hachette has partnered with select digital distributors. At present no information is available as to which digital distributors or libraries are participating in this pilot. Hachette state,
“that the aim of the pilot is to devise a strategy to reach the widest audience of e_book readers in libraries”.
On September 13 2012 Hachette released the following
statement which applies to 3500 backlist titles available through eBook aggregators:
"As part of an experimental pilot to find out more about the digital library marketplace, we revised ebook prices earlier this year. HBG notified all our public library distributors (including OverDrive) that we would be selling ebooks to them under new terms. We believe these terms fairly reflect the value to the library customer, that the ebooks will not need periodic replacement as do print copies, and there is no limit on amount of borrowing activity per ebook copy. ….......We are working with libraries, Overdrive, and several other partners to gather information and explore various options for making HBGs ebooks available to readers in a rapidly changing digital world."
According to
Laura Owen this represents an average price increase of around $220
On
1st May 2013 Hachette announced that following the success of the pilot project outlined above the company will now make its full catalogue available to libraries in eBook format. The digital titles will initially be available via the following aggregator platforms; OverDrive, 3M and Baker and Taylor. Hachette will release new eBooks simultaneously with print titles to libraries under a one copy one loan, unlimited circulation model. New release eBooks will be up to three times the price of a physical book, one year after the publication of an eBook the price will drop by as much as 50 percent.
Digital audiobooks are widely available.
As of the 1/10/2019 Hachette offers eBooks to libraries under a two years metered access license.
Harper Collins continues to make their complete eBook and eAudio title lists available to libraries for eLending (15,000 titles 19/8/2014). In February 2011 the company infamously introduced the 26 circulation policy for titles supplied to libraries. This policy stipulated that once a title reached 26 circulations the library is required to renew the lease in order to maintain public access. This policy initially attracted widespread condemnation from the public library sector, with many services imposing a boycott on the selection of Harper Collins eBook titles. One year later Michael Kelly reports that a number of libraries which continued to purchase Harper Collins titles report that they are happy with the model. Kelly also indicates that the New York Library, which has a collection of 5000+ Harpers Collins titles has only reached the circulation cap for 8 titles after 20 months of operating under the licensing scheme. Other libraries have apparently softened their stance against the Harper Collins policy decision in recognition of the fact that they are one of the few major publishers to provide full access to their title list (The Digital Shift 2012) . Many other libraries continue to boycott Harper Collins titles.
As of the 1/10/2019 Harper Collins continues to offer titles under a 26 check out license model with no termination date.
In January 2013 Macmillan
announced that it will be making 1200 crime and mystery eBook titles available for eLending through three eBook aggregators: OverDrive, 3M Cloud Library and Baker and Taylor Axis 360. The cost per title will be $25 and the library can lend the books for up to two years or 52 times, whichever comes first, before the access license must be renewed.
On October 2013 Baker and Taylor announced that the entire eBook backlist (11,000+ titles) are now available to clients of the Axis 360 library eBook platform. The content is licenced as per the terms and conditions of the trial noted above.
After evaluation of the eLending pilot
Macmillan announced in July 2014 that the trial will be expanded to include the full collection of front-list eBooks. The books will be sold under the existing 2 year/52 lend model. There was no mention if the cost per title would still be fixed at $25.00 per item.
Digital audiobooks are widely available.
A recent development worth noting is the
decision by TOR Books, the world’s biggest science fiction publisher (owned by Macmillan), to offer their entire inventory of titles free of any rights restrictions, for general consumer sale. Unfortunately, TOR books are not currently available for purchase by public libraries.
As of 1/11/19 Macmillan offer eBooks to libraries under a perpetual license for one copy of a new title with additional metered licenses available after an eight-week embargo (two years)
In December 2015 Penguin Random House announced new eBook terms of sale for libraries. Effective January 1, 2016, all Penguin and Random House adult and children’s frontlist and backlist ebook titles will be available under the one-ebook, one-user, no loan cap perpetual licensing model. This reflects the previous licensing model employed by Random House. Prices for all Penguin Random House ebooks will range from under $20 per title to a newly set maximum of $65. As of December 2015 this pricing is only available to US and Canadian libraries. The UK arm of Penuin Random House have indicated that metered access will apply to the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Penguin initially allowed eLending of select titles through a variety of platforms however, in November 2011 the company suspended the supply of new titles to public libraries. In February 2012 Penguin terminated its contract with OverDrive, although provisions were made to allow for the continued circulation of Penguin titles purchased by OverDrive clients. In September 2013 Penguin announced that it would once again supply content to Overdrive however, patrons using kindle eInk readers would be required to side load content via a pc on to these devices.
In June 2012 Penguin commenced an eBook trial in partnership with 3M (content platform provider) and the New York Public Library. Penguin has stipulated that new release titles will not be available for library purchase until six months after their release, continued title availability will be subject to renewal terms after one year elapses. Remote access for library clients owning compatible reading devices (nooks, iPads and Android tablets, Kindles excluded) will be offered. Penguin has indicated that if the trial is deemed successful then the model will be rolled out to other libraries.
In November 2012 3M
announced that the Penguin trial is complete and all 3M clients can now purchase Penguin titles under the following conditions: a six month embargo on new titles, a one book to one loan ratio and a one year expiration date regardless of the number of times a title has circulated. The Penguin partnership has also been extended to Baker and Taylors (AXIS 360) eLending platform. The price of titles in the US is comparable to regular consumer pricing ($9.99 - $15.99). On 28th March 2013, Penguin
announced that based on the trial results the company will be removing the library embargo on new titles.
In October 2012 Penguin and random House announced that the companies would merge creating the worlds biggest publishing house. The merger was completed in July 2013. It is unclear what impact this will have on the availability of the new companies inventory for eLending purposes.
As of the 1/10/2019 Penguin offers eBooks to libraries under a two years metered access license. Note Penguin Random House have merged operations.
In December 2015 Penguin Random House announced new eBook terms of sale for libraries. Effective January 1, 2016, all Penguin and Random House adult and children’s frontlist and backlist ebook titles will be available under the one-ebook, one-user, no loan cap perpetual licensing model. This reflects the previous licensing model employed by Random House. Prices for all Penguin Random House ebooks will range from under $20 per title to a newly set maximum of $65. As of December 2015 this pricing is only available to US and Canadian libraries. The UK arm of Penuin Random House have indicated that metered access will apply to the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Prior to the most recent announcement Random House offered the complete backlist of eBook and eAudio content for eLending purposes in public libraries. The company had no embargo on new release digital format titles. In March 2012 Random House announced that it would impose Library edition pricing for eContent titles. The average title increase was approximately 200%; some titles increased by up to 300%. Public library reception to the price increases was terse. In a further development Random House Vice president Skip Dye indicated that from the companies perspective when a library purchases one of their digital titles the library owns the content. This would suggest that public libraries need to be mindful of the terms and conditions entered into with third party aggregators to ensure that the ownership provisions afforded by publishers are not extinguished by the aggregators contract.
In October 2012 Penguin and random House announced that the companies would merge creating the worlds biggest publishing house. The merger was completed in July 2013. It is unclear what impact this will have on the availability of the new companies inventory for eLending purposes.
As of the 1/10/2019 Random House offers eBooks to libraries under a two years metered access license. Note Penguin Random House have merged operations.
On the
15th of April 2013 Simon and Schuster announced a one year eLending pilot program in partnership with the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Library. The complete catalog of eBooks will be made available to participating libraries via the 3M Cloud Library platform and Baker and Taylors Axis 360 platform. The titles can be acquired by the trial libraries on a one year lease from the date of purchase. The titles can be checked out an unlimited number of times over the year, each copy can only be checked out by one user at a time. No details pertaining to the price of the titles is currently available. Library patrons also have the option to buy titles with a portion of the proceeds going to the library service.
Simon and Schuster is the last of the 'Big Six' publishers to make content available to public libraries for eLending purposes (although at this point only too 3 services).
Prior to this pilot the only
exception made was Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 due to the author stipulating that the title could only be converted to the eBook format on the basis that it was available to libraries.
Digital audio titles are available.
As of the 1/10/2019 Simon Schuster offers eBooks to libraries under a two years metered access license.
(Information updated 31/10/2019)
