With the proliferation of eBooks in recent years has risen the issue of how best to circulate digital materials in libraries. While this issue is relevant across many sectors and types of publishing and libraries, this article focuses on the circulation and distribution of trade books in public libraries. According to Trade Ebooks in Libraries, “from the outset, public libraries have been where the greatest impacts are felt, and public library collections have always been at the centre of negotiations with trade publishers and library and library association advocacy with governments and the general public” (Whitney and Castell 1). 
 

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eBook basics 

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eBooks are typically published in EPUB format, which is device agnostic. This means that an EPUB file can be accessed and appear normal on many different types of devices. EPUB files allow for multimedia elements, layout, and language changes as well (“Introduction to Digital Distribution”). As stated in Trade Ebooks in Libraries: The Changing Landscape, “The eBook is very much in its infancy and there is no consensus on the spelling of the word. Variants in use include e-book, e-Book, ebook and eBook, the spelling preferred by the authors” (Whitney and Castell 1). For the purposes of this publication, “eBook” will be used unless an alternate spelling is cited in a direct quote. 

 

The introduction of e-readers such as Amazon’s Kindle has led to the demand for electronic books to grow substantially over the last decade. According to the American Library Association, about one-fifth of book sales in the United States are eBooks as of 2020 (Emanuel).  
 

 

How do libraries loan digital content to patrons? 

 

As Daniel Gross explains for The New Yorker, “Libraries can buy print books in bulk from any seller that they choose, and, thanks to a legal principle called the first-sale doctrine, they have the right to lend those books to any number of readers free of charge. But the first-sale doctrine does not apply to digital content.”   

 

Instead, publishers may license their digital content to a company like OverDrive, which libraries will then use to loan eBooks and audiobooks to patrons digitally. Library reading app Libby (owned by OverDrive) gives anybody with a library card access to that library’s collection of eBooks and audiobooks housed on Overdrive. More than 90% of public libraries in North America use OverDrive (“Libby”). Libby allows users to read across different devices, or add the digital loan to their Amazon Kindle account, so they can read the e-book on either the Kindle app or an e-reader. 

 

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Issues 

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As of 2014, all Big Five publishers were working with libraries. At the ALA Midwinter 2014 session hosted by the Digital Content Working Group, Sari Feldman, the co-chair of ALA Digital Content Working Group, and executive director of the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library, explained that the publishers had warmed up to the idea of eBook lending and were now discussing how best to go about it, rather than if they should let libraries loan digital content to patrons (Albanese, “ALA Midwinter”). 

 

However, the openness of access has raised some concerns among publishers. Many publishers worry that they are losing profit if readers are borrowing from the library for free instead of purchasing the e-book. On the other hand, libraries often must pay way more to add an eBook to their digital catalog than a single customer would pay to purchase the eBook. According to Gabrielle Emanuel’s article “Inside the E-Book 'War' Waging Between Libraries and Publishers,” a library may pay up to five times more than a singular consumer for a title. This differs greatly from print books, which libraries are often able to get from distributors at discounted prices in order to build their catalogues. After a certain amount of time passes, or the title is borrowed a certain number of times— both decided by the publisher—the library must buy the title again. This can result in exorbitant wait times for patrons for digital loans, especially for bestsellers and new releases (Albanese, “What’s next”). 

 

Although libraries make ideal partners for publishers—as Vinjamuri wrote in “The Case for Libraries”—there is still conflict over the money. Publishers are afraid that if patrons can borrow eBooks for free, they won’t purchase books from retailers.