Penguin Group USA To No Longer Allow Library Lending of New

Penguin Group USA To No Longer Allow Library Lending of New

Postby admin » Sat Dec 23, 2017 4:07 am

Penguin Group USA To No Longer Allow Library Lending of New EBook Titles
by Michael Kelley
Library Journal
November 21, 2011

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


(This story has been updated from an earlier version to include comment from OverDrive.)

The number of ebooks available for libraries to loan has just shrunk as Penguin Group USA has decided, for now, to no longer make digital editions of new titles available for library lending.

Erica Glass, the media relations manager for Penguin Group (USA) sent LJ the following statement today:

Penguin has been a long-time supporter of libraries with both physical and digital editions of our books. We have always placed a high value on the role that libraries can play in connecting our authors with our readers. However, due to new concerns about the security of our digital editions, we find it necessary to delay the availability of our new titles in the digital format while we resolve these concerns with our business partners. Penguin’s aim is to always connect writers and readers, and with that goal in mind, we remain committed to working closely with our business partners and the library community to forge a distribution model that is secure and viable. In the meantime, we want to assure you that physical editions of our new titles will continue to be available in libraries everywhere.


Glass did not elaborate on what the security concerns were exactly or how Penguin could abruptly withdraw frontlist titles from library collections that it had previously agreed to license.

OverDrive, the largest vendor of ebooks to public libraries, posted the following brief entry on its Digital Library Blog:

Last week Penguin sent notice to OverDrive that it is reviewing terms for library lending of their eBooks. In the interim, OverDrive was instructed to suspend availability of new Penguin eBook titles from our library catalog and disable “Get for Kindle” functionality for all Penguin eBooks. We apologize for this abrupt change in terms from this supplier. We are actively working with Penguin on this issue and are hopeful Penguin will agree to restore access to their new titles and Kindle availability as soon as possible.


Macmillan and Simon & Schuster do not license ebooks to public libraries. Hachette Book Group withdrew its frontlist ebook titles from library circulation in July 2010, although it has been reconsidering that decision recently.

A number of commenters on an Amazon discussion group as well as a blogger noted the recent unavailability of Penguin titles from what their libraries were offering to loan via OverDrive’s Kindle library lending program, but the decision as far as it affects new titles is not just limited to Kindle editions, according to Glass. Penguin will not be offering any digital editions to libraries for new titles, Glass said. However, the Kindle functionality specifically is being disabled for all Penguin ebooks. David Burleigh, a spokesperson for OverDrive, said this means that Penguin titles that are not new would still be available in other (non-Kindle) formats.

Cynthia Laino of the C/W Mars Library Consortium in Massachusetts wrote:

Neither Penguin nor OverDrive made any sort of announcement to library staff regarding this issue. I came in to work this morning (Monday) to find my digital books email account filled with emails from irate patrons. Rightly so! We library staff were so happy to be able to provide library content to Kindle users (finally!) and not having to tell Kindle-loving patrons “Sorry, you can’t use our digital collection.” Our ebook usage has increased by at least 50% in the last two months. We have bought many additional copies of our most popular titles simply to meet the increased demand for them once Kindle users were added to our borrowers. We would not have spent the additional funds (thousands of dollars) had we known this issue would arise. Hopefully, OverDrive, Amazon, or Penguin will make some sort of announcement soon and, at best, add the Kindle-format versions of these titles back to our collections or, at the very least, supply some form of compensation to the libraries. I work for a consortium of 150+ libraries and expect lots of calls and emails regarding this. :(


A check of the Brooklyn Public Library’s site showed that its ebook offerings had contracted by about 1000 titles over the weekend. This story will update as more details become available.
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Re: Penguin Group USA To No Longer Allow Library Lending of

Postby admin » Sat Dec 23, 2017 4:08 am

Penguin Restores Kindle Lending, But Still Not Providing Digital Editions of New Titles
by Michael Kelley
Library Journal
November 23, 2011

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


(This item has updated from an earlier version to include Penguin’s statement.)

Penguin Group (USA) has backtracked from at least part of its recent decision to limit library lending. OverDrive posted the following on its Digital Library blog Wednesday morning:

‘Get for Kindle’ for all Penguin eBooks in your catalog has been restored as of this morning. Penguin titles are available for check out by Kindle users and the Kindle format will be available for patrons who are currently on a waiting list for a Penguin title. This does not affect new releases, which remain unavailable.

We apologize for the inconvenience this caused for your library and patrons.

At this time, no further information is available. We hope to share more details in the near future


Penguin released the following statement:

In follow-up to our statement yesterday about supplying Penguin Group (USA) digital books to libraries:

Penguin USA took the decision yesterday to withhold the supply of new digital titles from suppliers to US libraries until concerns about the security of the copyright of its authors have been resolved.

In addition, Penguin informed suppliers to libraries that it expected them to abide by existing agreements to offer older digital titles to libraries only if those files were held behind the firewalls of the suppliers.

Following receipt of this information, Overdrive, a supplier of ebooks to US libraries, removed “Get for Kindle” from its offering.

Penguin has subsequently been informed by Amazon that it had not been consulted by Overdrive about the terms of Penguin’s agreement with Overdrive. Amazon has undertaken to work with Penguin and Overdrive between now and the end of the year to address Penguin’s concerns. Penguin will, as a result, restore the supply of these titles until the end of the year in order to return the availability of older titles to all its digital customers.
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Re: Penguin Group USA To No Longer Allow Library Lending of

Postby admin » Sat Dec 23, 2017 4:10 am

Penguin Further Narrows Library Access, Suspending Availability of Audiobook Titles
by Michael Kelley
Library Journal
January 18, 2012

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


(This story has been updated from an earlier version.)

Penguin Group has suspended the availability of download audiobook titles for library purchase across all vendors, according to a message that OverDrive sent to its library partners today.

The OverDrive message says: “This change does not affect any Penguin audiobook titles currently in your library’s catalog. Your library will be able to purchase additional copies of titles released before 11/14/2011. However, titles released after this date and new releases will not be available, per instruction from the publisher.”

“What we’ve shared with our partners is all we know at this time,” said David Burleigh, a spokesperson for OverDrive. OverDrive offers about 40,000 audiobook titles in its US catalog, Burleigh said.

This latest decision comes on top of the policy shift that Penguin announced in November that ended public libraries’ access to new ebook titles from the publisher.

(On Thursday, Erica Glass, a spokesperson for Penguin, told LJ that the company had meant to include audiobooks in its November announcement, but had neglected to do so.)

In addition, it further narrows public libraries’ access to audio titles since at the end of this month BrillianceAudio will also suspend the availability of downloadable audiobook titles across all vendors, according to a policy announced January 4 by the Michigan-based company. This change also does not affect any titles currently in a library’s catalog.

Brilliance Audio was acquired by Amazon.com in May, 2007. Amazon also owns Audible.com.

A Penguin representative could not be reached for comment, and Mark Pereira, the CEO of BrillianceAudio, did not return phone messages seeking comment.

The growing inaccessibility of downloadable audio titles and other digital media is a serious issue for public libraries. According to a Patron Profiles report released this month by Library Journal, there are key patron subgroups who are more likely to own a mobile device, such as the 21-40 age group, and who also demand expansion of the full range of library services, from movies to games to ebook collections so they can better use their devices.

“Such demand will continue to grow as long as new mobile digital devices are selling rapidly, and it points to a problematic gap for libraries in terms of delivering enough to meet expectations,” the report says.

In addition, the entire audio format may be facing a sea change, as the EPUB 3 Media Overlays feature, a standard approved only in October, enables combo ebook/audiobook packages, which may become an increasingly market-efficient answer for publishers to maximize revenues, according to Bill McCoy, the executive director of the International Digital Publishing Forum. Apple adopted the EPUB 3 standard in June, primarily for talking books initially.
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Re: Penguin Group USA To No Longer Allow Library Lending of

Postby admin » Sat Dec 23, 2017 4:11 am

Penguin Group Terminating Its Contract With Overdrive
by Michael Kelley
Library Journal
February 9, 2012

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


(This story has been updated to include OverDrive’s email to its partners.)

In a stunning development, Penguin Group has extricated itself from its contract with OverDrive, the primary supplier of ebooks to public libraries.

Starting February 10, Penguin, which had recently instituted limitations on library lending for ebooks and audiobooks, will now no longer offer any ebooks or audiobooks through OverDrive.

“Looking ahead, we are continuing to talk about our future plans for ebook and digital audiobook availability for library lending with a number of partners providing these services,” said Erica Glass, in a prepared statement.

Penguin is negotiating a “continuance agreement” with OverDrive, which will allow libraries that have Penguin ebooks in their catalog to continue to have access to those titles.

But since the company does not have a contract with 3M, the still fledgling but growing competitor to OverDrive, the practical effect of the decision will be to shut down public library access to additional Penguin ebook titles (not physical titles) for the immediate future.

OverDrive could not be reached for comment, but an email sent to its partners has been posted at InfoDocket. It reads:

Starting tomorrow (February 10, 2012), Penguin will no longer offer additional copies of eBooks and download audiobooks for library purchase. Additionally, Penguin eBooks loaned for reading on Kindle devices will need to be downloaded to a computer then transferred to the device over USB. For library patrons, this means Penguin eBooks will no longer be available for over-the-air delivery to Kindle devices or to Kindle apps.

We are continuing to talk to Penguin about their future plans for eBook and digital audiobook availability for library lending.


Penguin thus joins Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette among the Big Six publishers in search of an ebook library lending model.

In its November decision to not allow library lending of its new titles (via any vendor), Penguin had initially also targeted OverDrive’s relationship with Amazon as a particular concern, which led the company to demand that OverDrive disable the “Get for Kindle” functionality for all Penguin ebooks.

The company backed away from that demand, but the security concerns have likely never been allayed. When borrowing with a Kindle via OverDrive, the transaction essentially is removed from the public library and takes place under the terms that Amazon has worked out with OverDrive.

This “disintermediation” of the public library has also left some publishers feeling a bit left out in the cold, since the supply chain that has grown up around library lending of ebooks has evolved among other third-party commercial entities without much input from the publishers.

Penguin said it is not getting out of the library business, and that it was encouraged by the recent talks it had with the leadership of the American Library Association in New York City.

“In these ever changing times, it is vital that we forge relationships with libraries and build a future together. We care about preserving the value of our authors’ work as well as helping libraries continue to serve their communities,” Penguin’s statement reads. “Our ongoing partnership with the ALA is more important than ever, and our recent talks with ALA leadership helped bring everything into focus.”

However, one upshot of those talks, as LJ reported, was publishers’ concerns that if library loans become too “frictionless,” in other words, do not involve a physical trip to the library to borrow and return a book, that it will eat into their sales.

The desire to increase this friction may lead the recalcitrant publishers to demand a business model in which they will only make their ebooks available to public libraries if they are used in the library or if a patron is required to bring their device to the library and load the title onto the device in the library, then bring it home.

This would essentially eliminate all the convenience of borrowing ebooks from a home computer or device.
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Re: Penguin Group USA To No Longer Allow Library Lending of

Postby admin » Sat Dec 23, 2017 4:12 am

Penguin Lifts Library Ebook Purchase Embargo
by Matt Enis
March 27, 2013

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


Penguin Group today announced that it will be changing the terms on its library ebook lending program, and on Tuesday, April 2, will begin allowing libraries to purchase and lend ebook titles the day that hardcover editions are released, according to The Associated Press. Previously, Penguin had placed a six month embargo on new ebooks, requiring libraries to wait half a year before purchasing.

“I am pleased to learn that Penguin’s pilot is confirming what research suggests and librarians believe: There is more to be gained than lost when publishers work with libraries,” American Library Association President Maureen Sullivan said in a statement to the AP. “We are encouraged by Penguin’s willingness to experiment, make adjustments and move forward with libraries and our millions of readers.”

It has been a busy year for Penguin on the ebook lending front. In February 2012, the publisher terminated its contract with OverDrive. Four months later, Penguin announced a pilot project with the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the 3M’s new Cloud Library ebook platform. The pilot officially launched on October 1, and by November 13, Penguin had expanded the program, allowing all of 3M’s Cloud Library customers to purchase Penguin ebook titles. A few days later, the publisher announced that its ebook content would also be available on Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 platform.

With the purchase embargo lifted, Penguin’s other lending terms remain the same. Libraries can purchase titles at prices comparable to retail, and circulate each purchased copy to one patron at a time for one year. After one year, the titles will expire, regardless of checkout frequency. Penguin’s Director of Online Sales and Marketing Tim McCall confirmed to the AP that prices would not be raised as a result of the change to the embargo period.
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Re: Penguin Group USA To No Longer Allow Library Lending of

Postby admin » Sat Dec 23, 2017 4:16 am

Penguin EBooks Return to Overdrive, Go National On Axis 360
by Ian Chant, Matt Enis, and Meredith Schwartz
September 25, 2013

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


Image

“Penguin will resume doing business with OverDrive as of this morning,” Penguin spokesperson Erica Glass told LJ on September 25. According to a blog post by Karen Estrovich, collection development manager for OverDrive, 17,000 Penguin ebooks are already “live and available for purchase in OverDrive Marketplace.” Although Estrovich refers to the transaction as a purchase, the books are being offered for a one year term on a one copy/one user lending model. They are currently only available to U.S. libraries (including public, academic, and consortia), but libraries outside the U.S. should be able to access them soon. According to Glass, the agreement does not include K-12 school libraries.

In addition, Glass told LJ, Penguin’s ebook partnership with Baker & Taylor, which “has been running in pilot mode” with the Los Angeles Public Library and Cuyahoga County Public Library since November 2012, has “now expanded to all Axis 360 libraries.”

“Baker & Taylor will make Penguin Group ebooks available for sale to library customers [including individual library systems and consortia] through its comprehensive Title Source 3 and Title Source 360 selection and acquisitions tools by the end of this week,” Jenny Johnson, manager of corporate administration for Baker & Taylor, told LJ. “Purchased ebooks will then be available for patrons to discover, download and read through the Axis 360 digital media platform. Titles will also be incorporated into Baker & Taylor’s FirstLook new title notifications plans, and throughout the full range of collection development programs that Baker & Taylor provides its customers for title selection and fulfillment in physical and digital formats.”

The deal has no impact on Penguin’s ebook distribution with 3M, said Glass, which began four months after the company broke off relations with OverDrive and has already expanded out of the pilot phase. In April of this year, Penguin further liberalized the terms of its ebook policy, lifting the six-month embargo on new Penguin titles.

WHAT ABOUT AMAZON?

Of the OverDrive deal, Estrovich also wrote, “Penguin ebooks are available for Kindle (US) via USB side-loading only.” Library users can check out a Penguin title as they do any other, but will have to connect their device to a computer with a USB cable to download the content. [UPDATE: on September 26, Penguin dropped the side-loading requirement].

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Glass declined to comment on the terms of the agreement, but since this requirement is for Kindle ereaders only—Penguin ebooks can be wirelessly downloaded to Nooks and other devices—it seems likely to be driven by concern about Amazon.com’s involvement, or perhaps an effort to discourage libraries from purchasing Penguin titles in Kindle’s proprietary .AZW format.

“Side-loading is inconvenient for readers. The only advantage for publishers is the infamous ‘friction’ factor,” said Jimmy Thomas, executive director for Colorado’s Marmot Library Network. Thomas pointed out that the side-loading requirement will only apply to Kindle’s line of dedicated ereaders. Kindle Fire users can simply download an OverDrive app to access this content.

“Ebooks nowadays should be offered in epub and HTML5 formats. Any user of a smart mobile device (including Kindle Fire, excluding Kindle classic) with wireless connectivity should be able to ‘see book, read book’ (to quote OverDrive),” Thomas wrote in an email to LJ. “‘OverDrive Read’ or something comparably user-friendly seems the best way to balance DRM with maximum convenience for readers.”

Amazon involvement was key to Penguin’s initial decision to call off its OverDrive distribution deal, an anonymous source told infoDOCKET in February 2012. The move followed a November 2011 freeze on ebook sales of new Penguin titles to libraries, around the same time that Kindle launched its own “Lending Library,” and a January 2012 freeze on new audiobooks for libraries. In November 2011, Penguin also began requiring the USB download procedure for Kindles instead of wireless download, pending a review of its library lending terms.

At the time, Glass said in a statement, “Due to new concerns about the security of our digital editions, we find it necessary to delay the availability of our new titles in the digital format while we resolve these concerns with our business partners.” The continuing restriction on wireless downloads may imply that those concerns have not yet been completely resolved with Amazon, despite the renewed business relationship.

OverDrive Director of Marketing David Burleigh declined to speculate or disclose why side-loading remained a requirement for Penguin in this renewed deal.

“Permissions, terms, and usage are really in the publisher’s court,” Burleigh said. “We’re playing the role of facilitator and distributor…which is an important role, but some of these decisions are out of our control.”

When Penguin first broke with OverDrive, Author’s Guild executive director Paul Aiken told LJ: “It’s really hard to overstate the impact of Amazon’s particular deal with OverDrive and the shock wave that sent through the industry. The notion that public libraries, for the first time, would be sending their patrons to a commercial website for borrowing books—and not just any commercial website but the website of the entity that has a tight grip on the online marketplace for books—was bound to get a negative reaction.”

At the time, Penguin’s decision to pull out of OverDrive drew a lot of heated criticism from the library world. Librarians around the country told The Digital Shift that the sudden freeze on Kindle lending through public libraries for Penguin books was inconveniencing patrons (Penguin restored Kindle lending for older titles within days). Then-ALA President-elect Maureen Sullivan called on Penguin to deal with Amazon directly, “and not hold libraries hostage to a conflict of business models.” (Since 3M and Baker & Taylor do not have arrangements with Amazon, OverDrive is the only library ebook distributor for whom this is a factor.)

Regardless, today, librarians are excited by the news, with reactions on Twitter ranging from “Hooray!” to “finally!”, as well as critique of the one year lending model—and the optimistically large purchases of Penguin titles recommended by OverDrive.

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ALA President Barbara Stripling

“To me, it means that we’re on a positive trajectory,” American Library Association President Barbara Stripling told LJ. “We are moving forward, and expectations are that we will continue working in partnership with publishers to [resolve] remaining issues and really establish a tight connection with public libraries for access and fair pricing for ebooks.”

Pricing and licensing terms for ebooks remain a complex issue that libraries must continue to address, Stripling said.

“It’s still on the table—investigating multi-year leasing, different pricing structures—and I know we’re going to continue our dialogue with publishers.”

What is encouraging, she added, is that publishers, librarians, and ALA were continuing to collaborate to find the right formula.

Burleigh also credited ALA and the broader advocacy efforts of the library community for helping bring publishers to the table, adding that OverDrive plans to continue its own efforts to educate publishers regarding the positive impact that libraries have on discovery and, ultimately, sales.

“Discovery and engagement is so important to the sales process” for publishers, he said. “Libraries can give [publishers] that in a very unique way—it’s a very desirable market for publishers to be in.”

Officials at Colorado’s Douglas County Libraries (DCL), which has pioneered the library-owned, library-managed ebook movement, were pleased that Penguin ebooks would become more widely available, but expressed frustration regarding the licensing terms.

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Rochelle Logan, Associate Director of Support Services, Douglas County Library

“From a collection development standpoint, this is a bittersweet set up,” said DCL Associate Director Rochelle Logan. “The pricing is reasonable (although we would prefer a discount), but having to repurchase books after one year is an additional task for CD librarians and an additional expense. We’ve already been collecting Penguin titles in 3M and they are VERY popular.”

She continued: “According to our staff, ‘It is fairly easy to get reports that show the number of uses per title, number of current holds, etc. on each item, and the price point is reasonable on Penguin titles. The frustration is that good titles/authors that have not circulated very much yet might need to be purchased again.’”

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Jamies LaRue, Director, Douglas County Libraries

DCL Director Jamie LaRue was more blunt.

“Welcome to the latest iteration of the ghost collection, haunting but not inhabiting our catalogs,” LaRue said. “While this allows us to provide more titles in a popular format, it also means that rentals cost just as much as full retail, and we lose them in 12 months. That means we assume even more risk for the privilege of promoting new titles.”

NOT ABOUT THE MERGER

The deal does not have any impact on the Random House side of the recently merged Penguin Random House, Random House spokesperson Stuart Applebaum told LJ, though “both sides of Penguin Random House see it as good news. We continue to follow separate paths on terms of sale, policies and practices with libraries.” Random House has had uninterrupted relationships with OverDrive and Baker & Taylor, from which Penguin took a hiatus, as well as with Ingram and 3M.

Applebaum lauded vice president of online sales and marketing Tim McCall at Penguin as the architect of the rapproachment. McCall, he said, “was the primary mover for [Penguin] in the resumptions with B&T and Overdrive. If there’s someone on the Penguin side who deserves credit for moving it forward, it would be he.”

This article was updated on September 26 to include comments from officials at Douglas County Libraries. To see the letter OverDrive sent to library partners and a chronology of Penguin and OverDrive’s previous interactions, visit infoDOCKET.
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Re: Penguin Group USA To No Longer Allow Library Lending of

Postby admin » Sat Dec 23, 2017 4:21 am

Penguin Drops Side Loading Requirement for Kindle Lending
by Matt Enis
September 27, 2013

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


Image

In a quick reversal of its position on Kindle lending, Penguin on September 26 loosened the terms of its renewed agreement with OverDrive, announced only the day before. The publisher has agreed to allow library patrons to download ebook titles wirelessly via OverDrive’s “Get for Kindle” function instead of, as initially announced, first downloading titles to a computer, and then side-loading those titles to their Kindle classic or Paperwhite using a USB cord.

Penguin began requiring this two-step procedure in November 2011, the same month that they announced a freeze on sales of new titles to libraries. At the time, Penguin spokesperson Erica Glass released a statement to the press citing security concerns, and by February 2012, the publisher had temporarily stopped all ebook licensing to libraries. A few months later, Penguin began pilot testing a program with the 3M Cloud Library and, later, Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 platform, both of which have now gone national. Neither platform currently supports Kindle’s dedicated ereaders.

Penguin has declined to discuss this matter in more depth, but presumably, the concerns expressed in 2011 somehow involved the way that Kindle transactions were managed by Amazon. Notably, during pilot tests and subsequent national launches of Penguin’s ebook catalog for library lending, 3M and Baker & Taylor did not face similar side-loading demands for Barnes & Noble NOOK devices. With yesterday’s decision, these concerns appear to be resolved. Amazon representatives did not immediately respond to LJ’s request for comment.

Earlier this week, OverDrive Director of Marketing David Burleigh also declined to speculate or disclose the reasons behind the side-loading issue, stating that “Permissions, terms, and usage are really in the publisher’s court. We’re playing the role of facilitator and distributor…which is an important role, but some of these decisions are out of our control.”

EASIER ACCESS, NEW LICENSING TERMS

OverDrive is currently the only library ebook distributor that enables patrons to check out books on Kindle’s dedicated ereaders (in addition to other platforms) and many librarians were pleased by Penguin’s decision to allow simplified Kindle downloading.

Sari Feldman, executive director of Ohio’s Cuyahoga County Public Library and co-chair of the American Library Association’s Digital Content and Libraries Working Group, said “We are so appreciative that Penguin continues to expand opportunities for access to digital content. Reinstating its relationship with OverDrive provides libraries with a third platform through which customers can access the quality content they seek. Now, taking this additional step of streamlining the Kindle download process, Penguin further enhances customer convenience, a critical aspect of library service.”

At Los Gatos Library in California, “we were just discussing at a meeting of staff and had assumed that Penguin would impose the Kindle [side loading] restriction, so we are relieved and somewhat pleased,” said town librarian Henry Bankhead.

Bankhead also praised Penguin’s new metered access model, stating that “it gives librarians more granular control and ability to modify their collections according to user needs. The significantly lower prices allow us to get more titles in front of readers. We can then adjust our spending according to the use of these titles.”

Titles are currently priced at levels comparable to retail for a one copy/one user license that expires after one year. Backlist ebooks range from $5.99 to $9.99, and new bestsellers priced closer to $18.

“I think [metered access] is an improvement along a path that started with the Harper Collins 26 checkouts [loan limit],” Bankhead said. “I would still like to see a model from the big five that even more closely let us pay for the books that people actually use. I think it will not be long in coming.”
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