most cost-efficient way to check out ebooks from the library?
December 30, 2021 4:36 PM Subscribe
My understanding is that the arrangements most libraries have with publishers mean they pay by the read, or have licenses for specific time periods for specific formats. What's the way to get library ebooks that will be most cost-efficient for my library?
I love my local library system. I read a LOT of library books. In general I prefer ebooks, which are both physically easier to read for me and which return themselves, preventing late, lost, or damaged books.
But I know that there are a lot of cost issues around licensing ebooks for library use that don't pertain to physical books where the library buys the book and can lend it infinite times as long as it's in good shape and in demand .
My library supports Overdrive (Libby) and Kindle formats for ebooks. Is it better to choose one over another when there's a choice? (I read on an iPad with the Libby and Kindle apps). Is it better to read and return quickly or does that not matter? I am assuming it's bad to check out a book and then not read it. Dos/don'ts? Publishers to avoid?
Basically, I want to help my library system get the most bang for their ebook buck while still availing myself of the medium.
I love my local library system. I read a LOT of library books. In general I prefer ebooks, which are both physically easier to read for me and which return themselves, preventing late, lost, or damaged books.
But I know that there are a lot of cost issues around licensing ebooks for library use that don't pertain to physical books where the library buys the book and can lend it infinite times as long as it's in good shape and in demand .
My library supports Overdrive (Libby) and Kindle formats for ebooks. Is it better to choose one over another when there's a choice? (I read on an iPad with the Libby and Kindle apps). Is it better to read and return quickly or does that not matter? I am assuming it's bad to check out a book and then not read it. Dos/don'ts? Publishers to avoid?
Basically, I want to help my library system get the most bang for their ebook buck while still availing myself of the medium.
Best answer: Librarian here: USE THE LIBRARY, anything else is gravy. I don't mean to holler but basically that's it. It can be difficult to tell what relationship a particular library has with ebook providers. There are a few different models. Mine, for example (Vermont, US), is that ebooks are purchased by a statewide consortium and the books come in basically three flavors, all from Overdrive,
- unlimited lends (i.e. people can all check the same book out at the same time for no extra cost)
- one lend at a time but forever (i.e. that book belongs to the library which can lend it forever but only to one person at a time, though a library could buy multiple "copies" of that book)
- a book with a fixed number of lends or a time limit (i.e. you can loan the book for all of 2021 for one price OR you can loan the book 26 times and then you have to "re-buy" it)
Often the people working at the front desk won't even know for certain which books have which restrictions although sometimes it's a big selling point like "Hey we have Ibram X. Kendi's book with unlimited lends, go learn how to be antiracist!" And bigger systems can then buy some of their own books so that a local patron could have more ebooks available than just the state standard. And I know for certain that with Overdrive we don't know if you've actually read a book or not. I know Amazon could technically tell this but I don't know if they offer this kind of information for libraries which lend Kindle books. And if you're just talking about reading Overdrive books on a Kindle, there's no difference as eirin says.
So given these models, the rule of thumb I tell people is "Yes borrow it and read it, but when you're done, return it, don't just wait for it to expire. And maybe don't check out a bunch of newish books you're not going to read." This will mean other patrons can access books more quickly and yes seconding eirin, the library might buy multiple copies of a high demand book. If you want to dig into it here's a slightly out of date chart that discusses what some of the Big Five publisher agreements are.
As a librarian, I would never tell you that if you check out a book from a library there might be extralegal ways to both return the book and keep the book, but as an Extremely Online person I do feel I should mention that.
posted by jessamyn at 5:23 PM on December 30, 2021 [48 favorites]
- unlimited lends (i.e. people can all check the same book out at the same time for no extra cost)
- one lend at a time but forever (i.e. that book belongs to the library which can lend it forever but only to one person at a time, though a library could buy multiple "copies" of that book)
- a book with a fixed number of lends or a time limit (i.e. you can loan the book for all of 2021 for one price OR you can loan the book 26 times and then you have to "re-buy" it)
Often the people working at the front desk won't even know for certain which books have which restrictions although sometimes it's a big selling point like "Hey we have Ibram X. Kendi's book with unlimited lends, go learn how to be antiracist!" And bigger systems can then buy some of their own books so that a local patron could have more ebooks available than just the state standard. And I know for certain that with Overdrive we don't know if you've actually read a book or not. I know Amazon could technically tell this but I don't know if they offer this kind of information for libraries which lend Kindle books. And if you're just talking about reading Overdrive books on a Kindle, there's no difference as eirin says.
So given these models, the rule of thumb I tell people is "Yes borrow it and read it, but when you're done, return it, don't just wait for it to expire. And maybe don't check out a bunch of newish books you're not going to read." This will mean other patrons can access books more quickly and yes seconding eirin, the library might buy multiple copies of a high demand book. If you want to dig into it here's a slightly out of date chart that discusses what some of the Big Five publisher agreements are.
As a librarian, I would never tell you that if you check out a book from a library there might be extralegal ways to both return the book and keep the book, but as an Extremely Online person I do feel I should mention that.
posted by jessamyn at 5:23 PM on December 30, 2021 [48 favorites]
For what it's worth, I just set my tablet up for this over the weekend and there didn't appear to be a way to listen to an audiobook without Overdrive, which has been fine. There were some issues getting it all set up, but I think that's just a documentation issue, and it sounds like you're already past all that anyway.
posted by rhizome at 5:23 PM on December 30, 2021
posted by rhizome at 5:23 PM on December 30, 2021
This September 2021 article from The New Yorker talks about a lot of the issues you raise if you're interested in knowing a bit more about the current landscape facing public libraries in the US.
If you are talking about choosing the Kindle format when you check out a Libby/Overdrive book, I don't believe that choice will have any budget effect on any of the pricing structures used by Overdrive. The Kindle format will give Amazon a little more info on you and on library ebook use, which might be a small negative in the larger picture. However, if you have a Kindle with airplane mode, one thing I like to do is to download a bunch of library checkouts to the Kindle, put it in airplane mode, then return those items in my Libby/Overdrive account to make them available to other patrons- they're still loaded on my Kindle for as long as it's not syncing. That might have a bit of positive effect on waiting lists for others.
There have been calls from libraries to take action against specific publishers offering egregious ebook pricing in the past, so maybe keep an eye out on twitter every so often to see if there is anything going on in that regard.
Overall, though, I don't believe an individual user's actions can have much of an effect on your library system's budget for Libby/Overdrive. There are probably hundred of thousands if not millions of Overdrive checkouts a year in your library system - the specifics of your individual usage are a drop in the bucket. I think you should keep borrowing as much as you like, in the format you prefer, with no pressure to read quickly or not renew items.
Instead of maximixing your efficiency with the ebook materials you borrow, the best thing you can do is to keep using your library, tell others about what the library offers, and encourage them to get library cards and use the library too. If you advocate for libraries and access to information as a public good and something that taxes should continue to pay for, that advocacy is super valuable and helpful, including as leverage with publishers and private vendors.
posted by lizard music at 5:38 PM on December 30, 2021 [9 favorites]
If you are talking about choosing the Kindle format when you check out a Libby/Overdrive book, I don't believe that choice will have any budget effect on any of the pricing structures used by Overdrive. The Kindle format will give Amazon a little more info on you and on library ebook use, which might be a small negative in the larger picture. However, if you have a Kindle with airplane mode, one thing I like to do is to download a bunch of library checkouts to the Kindle, put it in airplane mode, then return those items in my Libby/Overdrive account to make them available to other patrons- they're still loaded on my Kindle for as long as it's not syncing. That might have a bit of positive effect on waiting lists for others.
There have been calls from libraries to take action against specific publishers offering egregious ebook pricing in the past, so maybe keep an eye out on twitter every so often to see if there is anything going on in that regard.
Overall, though, I don't believe an individual user's actions can have much of an effect on your library system's budget for Libby/Overdrive. There are probably hundred of thousands if not millions of Overdrive checkouts a year in your library system - the specifics of your individual usage are a drop in the bucket. I think you should keep borrowing as much as you like, in the format you prefer, with no pressure to read quickly or not renew items.
Instead of maximixing your efficiency with the ebook materials you borrow, the best thing you can do is to keep using your library, tell others about what the library offers, and encourage them to get library cards and use the library too. If you advocate for libraries and access to information as a public good and something that taxes should continue to pay for, that advocacy is super valuable and helpful, including as leverage with publishers and private vendors.
posted by lizard music at 5:38 PM on December 30, 2021 [9 favorites]
I came in to say basically the same thing as jessamyn. Any librarian worth their salt would say that as long as you are using the library and their services in good faith, the exact implications of your use patterns are not that important.
It is also, as jessamyn says, next to impossible for library staff, must less users, to determine what terms apply to any given book, and it’s even possible that different terms can apply to the same book.
Better to spend whatever time and energy you would on sussing this stuff out on volunteering or donating or going to events or otherwise participating at the library (in a pandemically responsible way).
posted by Rock Steady at 5:47 PM on December 30, 2021 [10 favorites]
It is also, as jessamyn says, next to impossible for library staff, must less users, to determine what terms apply to any given book, and it’s even possible that different terms can apply to the same book.
Better to spend whatever time and energy you would on sussing this stuff out on volunteering or donating or going to events or otherwise participating at the library (in a pandemically responsible way).
posted by Rock Steady at 5:47 PM on December 30, 2021 [10 favorites]
If you want to help out your library, or libraries in general, thank you! and please consider helping resist right-wing materials challenges. A letter thanking your library for buying materials that welcome the entire community would be useful and appreciated.
As for ebooks, read all you want... and keep an eye on what's going on in Maryland; if that legislation holds up, you can lobby for similar where you are if that's not Maryland.
posted by humbug at 5:56 PM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
As for ebooks, read all you want... and keep an eye on what's going on in Maryland; if that legislation holds up, you can lobby for similar where you are if that's not Maryland.
posted by humbug at 5:56 PM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Among other things, I buy ebooks and eaudiobooks for my library. Agree with what others have said - format does not matter; lending model is difficult for those of us who purchase the materials to keep up with, there is definitely zero expectation that the borrowers should. Read a lot, read widely, return things when you're done rather than hang on to them for the full loan period - especially when they are popular items with many holds.
If you are a person who places lots of holds on items, please be patient if there is a long queue on popular titles - especially with eaudiobooks. Eaudio in particular tends to be very expensive and in higher demand than ebooks (at least with my library) so the hold queues are a lot longer and I can't get as many additional copies, even though I have set aside a generous budget to help manage demand, which of course has skyrocketed during the pandemic. Many libraries are struggling to stretch their budgets to cover increased demand for digital formats while still keeping up traditional physical formats. Library staff trying to manage the holds queue will still feel the pressure, but as with everything, kindness and goodwill make everything easier.
Thank you for using your library and trying to think of ways to help! Also consider just dropping your local library a quick email saying how much you are enjoying what they offer - we love knowing what we do makes a difference :)
posted by Athanassiel at 6:38 PM on December 30, 2021 [7 favorites]
If you are a person who places lots of holds on items, please be patient if there is a long queue on popular titles - especially with eaudiobooks. Eaudio in particular tends to be very expensive and in higher demand than ebooks (at least with my library) so the hold queues are a lot longer and I can't get as many additional copies, even though I have set aside a generous budget to help manage demand, which of course has skyrocketed during the pandemic. Many libraries are struggling to stretch their budgets to cover increased demand for digital formats while still keeping up traditional physical formats. Library staff trying to manage the holds queue will still feel the pressure, but as with everything, kindness and goodwill make everything easier.
Thank you for using your library and trying to think of ways to help! Also consider just dropping your local library a quick email saying how much you are enjoying what they offer - we love knowing what we do makes a difference :)
posted by Athanassiel at 6:38 PM on December 30, 2021 [7 favorites]
Another librarian here and, full disclosure, someone currently working for Library Futures, which is a nonprofit specifically advocating for fairer terms for library ebooks.
I echo the "use the library" advice. Libraries are a use it or lose it thing--the more use they can demonstrate, the stronger their arguments are for their funders, who are local (and to some extent state) governments.
Currently there are some legislative and legal efforts underway, if you are a "talk to your Congresspeople" sort of person:
--the Senate Finance Committee has launched inquiries into library ebook pricing and licensing terms and ebook aggregators (e.g. Overdrive)
--Maryland and New York state have passed or introduced laws that would require fairer ebook terms for libraries. Maryland's law is currently subject to a lawsuit by the Association of American Publishers (which many of us feel is problematic or just plain wrong). New York's was vetoed by the governor, which is a bummer, but it is not dead yet.
Speaking only for myself, one of the best things you can do (aside from using the library, as noted!) is to tell other people about how library ebooks work, or don't. So few people I talk to have any idea of the incredibly restrictive, expensive, and time-consuming terms that libraries operate under when it comes to ebooks (and, for that matter, other digital licensed content), and I think people understanding that is the first and most crucial step.
But in the meantime, happy reading in whatever way you like to do it!
posted by newrambler at 8:26 PM on December 30, 2021 [7 favorites]
I echo the "use the library" advice. Libraries are a use it or lose it thing--the more use they can demonstrate, the stronger their arguments are for their funders, who are local (and to some extent state) governments.
Currently there are some legislative and legal efforts underway, if you are a "talk to your Congresspeople" sort of person:
--the Senate Finance Committee has launched inquiries into library ebook pricing and licensing terms and ebook aggregators (e.g. Overdrive)
--Maryland and New York state have passed or introduced laws that would require fairer ebook terms for libraries. Maryland's law is currently subject to a lawsuit by the Association of American Publishers (which many of us feel is problematic or just plain wrong). New York's was vetoed by the governor, which is a bummer, but it is not dead yet.
Speaking only for myself, one of the best things you can do (aside from using the library, as noted!) is to tell other people about how library ebooks work, or don't. So few people I talk to have any idea of the incredibly restrictive, expensive, and time-consuming terms that libraries operate under when it comes to ebooks (and, for that matter, other digital licensed content), and I think people understanding that is the first and most crucial step.
But in the meantime, happy reading in whatever way you like to do it!
posted by newrambler at 8:26 PM on December 30, 2021 [7 favorites]
My library system sent an email last March with tips on how to help the library when using OverDrive, and they included:
posted by catabananza at 8:33 PM on December 30, 2021
- If you know you aren't going to read (or finish) a book you've already checked out, it's better to return it early instead of keeping it until it expires. They even encouraged checking it out again later if the issue is time rather than interest.
- Use samples before placing a hold or checking out a book you're unsure about.
posted by catabananza at 8:33 PM on December 30, 2021
I have similar concerns and got pretty similar answers to a question I had about using my library's online databases.
Not exactly an answer to your question, but related: there are legislators who care about this issue, too - Wyden, Eshoo Question Big Five Publishers Over Their Library E-book Practices, Publishers Weekly - so if you have the time and energy, you could contact your representatives, city, state, and federal, and let them know that this is important to you and what measures you might support. (And I see newrambler mentioned the Senate already, so I'm just chiming in with the Publishers Weekly article.)
posted by kristi at 9:39 AM on December 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Not exactly an answer to your question, but related: there are legislators who care about this issue, too - Wyden, Eshoo Question Big Five Publishers Over Their Library E-book Practices, Publishers Weekly - so if you have the time and energy, you could contact your representatives, city, state, and federal, and let them know that this is important to you and what measures you might support. (And I see newrambler mentioned the Senate already, so I'm just chiming in with the Publishers Weekly article.)
posted by kristi at 9:39 AM on December 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Librarian turned nonprofit ED, also chiming in from the Library Futures POV (say hi!) and I completely agree with everything that's been said (use the library!!) Publishers love to say that ebooks don't really matter because they serve a small subsection of library users as a way to justify their actions while withholding or overcharging for content. If you want to get really angry, check out this thread about how the head of the Author's Guild wants to make it harder for people to use libraries if they have money to buy ebooks.
Pushing for more content instead of focusing on the ways in which that content is provided to libraries has led to some pretty big issues with the ways in which that content is distributed – I had a reporter ask me this week "Why do we need consumer protection around ebooks at all? Amazon is now providing ebooks to DPLA!" It's maddening! (We weighed in on the DPLA/Amazon deal if you're interested) I don't mean to denigrate the very real and important work that librarians have done in this space – it's just an unequal playing field, and the Maryland ebook bill that represented a compromise (and months of negotiation!) with publishers led to the Association of American Publishers suing to stop it, which got a similar bill vetoed in New York. We're working on something different in MA, which was summarized by our partners at Every Library.
I also want to point out that a lot of the issues with library ebook pricing (way too high!) stems in part from the lack of clarity around digital assets and the right of first sale, lengthening copyright restrictions, complicated termination of transfer, and the ways in which licensing culture makes it easier to exploit consumers as well as public institutions. Schultz and Perzanowski in their book The End of Ownership call it "a market for lemons" and "a basically unworkable legal concept of contracts" and that's borne out by the library ebook market.
Consolidation in both publishing and library tech has also turned the primary actors in the field into data analytic firms and media conglomerates, and to say that we are in an era of "big publishing" is an understatement. In addition to better terms, we also need better platforms, which is what Project Reshare is doing, and what Simply E (now called The Palace Project) is doing to challenge Overdrive's monopoly. It's an uphill battle, and supporting good public interest technology is an important piece of the puzzle.
The best thing you can do IMHO is use your library liberally and support their advocacy work if called upon, particularly around the terrifying challenges to materials and ebook legislation that is happening right now.
One last perspective – as we head into a new phase of the pandemic, library workers are expected to do everything from providing rapid tests to turning their spaces into vaccine clinics. Borrowing ebooks from the library is also, in some ways, helping stop the spread by reducing the traffic in the library while keeping materials circulating. So borrow away!
posted by burningyrboats at 9:43 AM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
Pushing for more content instead of focusing on the ways in which that content is provided to libraries has led to some pretty big issues with the ways in which that content is distributed – I had a reporter ask me this week "Why do we need consumer protection around ebooks at all? Amazon is now providing ebooks to DPLA!" It's maddening! (We weighed in on the DPLA/Amazon deal if you're interested) I don't mean to denigrate the very real and important work that librarians have done in this space – it's just an unequal playing field, and the Maryland ebook bill that represented a compromise (and months of negotiation!) with publishers led to the Association of American Publishers suing to stop it, which got a similar bill vetoed in New York. We're working on something different in MA, which was summarized by our partners at Every Library.
I also want to point out that a lot of the issues with library ebook pricing (way too high!) stems in part from the lack of clarity around digital assets and the right of first sale, lengthening copyright restrictions, complicated termination of transfer, and the ways in which licensing culture makes it easier to exploit consumers as well as public institutions. Schultz and Perzanowski in their book The End of Ownership call it "a market for lemons" and "a basically unworkable legal concept of contracts" and that's borne out by the library ebook market.
Consolidation in both publishing and library tech has also turned the primary actors in the field into data analytic firms and media conglomerates, and to say that we are in an era of "big publishing" is an understatement. In addition to better terms, we also need better platforms, which is what Project Reshare is doing, and what Simply E (now called The Palace Project) is doing to challenge Overdrive's monopoly. It's an uphill battle, and supporting good public interest technology is an important piece of the puzzle.
The best thing you can do IMHO is use your library liberally and support their advocacy work if called upon, particularly around the terrifying challenges to materials and ebook legislation that is happening right now.
One last perspective – as we head into a new phase of the pandemic, library workers are expected to do everything from providing rapid tests to turning their spaces into vaccine clinics. Borrowing ebooks from the library is also, in some ways, helping stop the spread by reducing the traffic in the library while keeping materials circulating. So borrow away!
posted by burningyrboats at 9:43 AM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
It’s definitely bad to check out a book and not read it—if the library is charged by the checkout or has purchased a limited number of checkouts for that particular book, they’re obviously paying for that. If the library has bought a license to the book for a certain period of time, you’re tying the book up so other patrons can’t read it (and if it’s a high demand book, your library might be buying additional copies to get through the waiting list faster).
It’s better to read and return quickly when someone else is waiting for the book, because you want to avoid your library buying more copies to get through the waiting list faster, and because if it’s a book that the library has licensed for a set period of time, you don’t want to waste that time. If no one else is waiting for the book, it makes no difference how quickly you return it (though it’s worth noting that some patrons will never bother placing holds on checked out books, and will only take ones that are currently available, so it’s good in general to return books as soon as you’re done with them).
I’m not directly involved with ebook purchasing at my library so while I know about the types of licensing that are available I don’t know anything at all about differences between publishers, etc.
posted by eirin at 5:18 PM on December 30, 2021 [5 favorites]