Library Consortium’s Get the Shaft with Simon & Schuster eBooks

Simon & Schuster has rolled out their nationwide eBook strategy for libraries. In order to offer the digital titles to patrons librarians have to offer the ability for their patrons to buy the title. What about consortia? New information has just been revealed that libraries that belong to a consortium will have the hardest time offering the S&S titles. There are many consortium libraries all over the United States. Some of the larger ones have close to 600 different libraries spread all over a State. They often pool their financial resources and a few collection managers will buy titles and distribute them to all of their members. What libraries don’t know right now is that the entire consortium would have to opt into selling Simon & Schuster eBooks. This makes collection managers job very difficult, because they have to approach every single library in their network and see if they would be willing to sell books. They basically have to sell the idea that for every title they sell they get fifty cents commission. K12 librarian Alison Hewett summed up the dire situation by proclaiming “It is hard to believe that publishers think that offering an ebook to a library for only one year softens the blow of having to be a store for them as well. To me it presents an ethical dilemma. Are book talks literary sales pitches now? Alison is referring to the fact that libraries consortiums can purchase frontlist and backlist titles from Simon & Schuster. These books have a one copy, one loan policy in place but are only valid for one year. After the year is over, librarians have to purchase the title once again. Libraries that belong to a consortium will undoubtedly be getting sales pitches from the main collection managers that are responsible for furnishing their locations with eBook content. It does not matter if you deal with Overdrive, 3M, BiblioCommons, and Baker & Taylor, you will have to become a retail store to buy S&S titles. Library Consortium’s Get the Shaft with Simon & Schuster eBooks is a post from: Good e-Reader

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