US Libraries Struggle to Pay for Costly Digital Books

A growing number of American libraries are struggling to offer users digital versions

of books because they cost a lot more than physical copies.

Public demand for digital materials, including books called e-books as well as audio books,

has been rising at U.S. libraries since the COVID-19 pandemic.

But libraries have had difficulties meeting demand.

This has forced many librarians to put users on waiting lists to borrow digital materials.

Associated Press AP reporters recently spoke with library officials about the problem.

One library they visited was in the community of West Haven, Connecticut.

There library workers noted big cost differences between physical and digital books.

Most libraries are currently not permitted to buy e-books for a set price like individuals who purchase them online.

This is because libraries offer the books to many people to borrow.

One example is a work by best-selling writer Robin Cook.

A physical hard-copy version of Cook's latest book costs the West Haven library $18 to buy, the AP reports.

But the cost of leasing a digital copy of the same book costs the library $55.

Library officials told the AP lease prices are set by book publishers and generally cannot be renegotiated.

Such leasing agreements end after a limited use.

Usually this means the lease lasts for up to two years or until it has been borrowed

a set number of times.

The cost of the lease is putting financial pressure on libraries.

Officials at West Haven library told the AP they do not have a large budget.

But they said they had to spend more than $12,000 over the past three years to lease

276 additional digital books that were not available within a larger library network.

The officials said 84 of those books were no longer available.

And they noted that if the same $12,000 had been spent on paper books, the amount would

have paid for about 800 copies.

Imagine if a playground was built at a school with tax dollars only to be taken down after

two years of use, librarian Colleen Bailey said at a recent public hearing on the issue.

Publishers say their agreements with libraries are fair.

They say that while libraries pay a higher lease rate, they can make the books available

to many users over time.

Librarians in several states have been pushing for legislation to reduce high costs and restrictions on digital materials.

This year, lawmakers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois, Hawaii, and New Hampshire all proposed

bills aimed at lowering costs.

But the measures have faced strong opposition from the publishing industry.

The industry argues the proposals do not effectively respect intellectual property owned by copyright

holders and would harm the publishing businesses.

Libraries Online, Inc. is a digitally connected library group operating in Connecticut.

The organization says it currently spends about $20,000 a month on e-books for its 38 members.

The cost of renewing expired e-books takes about 20% of the group's budget, e-book committee

chair Rebecca Harlow told the AP.

If we replaced all of the content that has expired this year, the cost would exceed our

entire annual budget for e-books, Harlow recently told lawmakers.

We have completely lost the ability to build a library collection, she added.

In Illinois, a legislative proposal would cancel contracts between libraries and publishers that include certain rules.

These include restricting a library's right to decide loan periods for licensed electronic material.

Massachusetts and Connecticut are considering similar proposals.

Last year, groups representing publishers, booksellers, and writers formed a group, the

Protect the Creative Economic Coalition to oppose state measures.

But Julie Holden, assistant library director for the Cranston Public Library in Rhode Island,

said she thinks legislative action is needed.

Otherwise local librarians will continue to face financial pressure and will need to keep

examining long lists of expiring digital leases to decide which ones can be replaced.

Holden added, taxpayers who fund our public libraries deserve better, way better. I'm Brian Lynn.