Big Six publisher Hachette has made its entire catalog of 5,000 ebooks available to US public and school libraries, a step that could foreshadow a broader move by other publishers to work more closely with libraries to harmonize the handling of print and ebook editions. Hachette further plans to make new ebooks available to libraries as soon as they go on sale.
Pricing, however, remains an issue, especially for cash-strapped communities. Hachette will charge libraries three times the price of the highest-priced edition in print, reducing the markup to 1.5 times the price of the print book after one year. On the positive side, library patrons will be able to check out a title an unlimited number of times (though only one patron at a time). This is in sharp contrast to HarperCollins, which forces libraries to purchase a new copy of an ebook after it has been borrowed 26 times.
American Library Association President Maureen Sullivan welcomed the news, saying, “This step moves libraries closer to ensuring that patrons will be able to enjoy the same access to e-books as they have to print books. It also recognizes the critical role that libraries play in bringing authors and readers together in the digital age.”