Lauren Indvik2013-04-15 15:18:14 UTCSimon & Schuster, the only major publisher to continually refuse to make any of its e-books available to lending libraries, is shifting its stance. The publisher announced Monday that it is making its complete list of electronic titles available at the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Library as part of a one-year pilot program beginning April 30 (mid-May in Queens).
For the first time, patrons of those libraries will be able to borrow fiction classics including The Great Gatsby and Misty of Chincoteague, along with newer bestsellers including Walter Isaacson's biography on Steve Jobs, in e-book form.
Libraries will be able to offer unlimited checkouts of individual e-books one year after purchase. E-books can only be checked out by one patron at a time. (HarperCollins, by contrast, allows e-books to be checked out only 26 times before libraries must purchase a new copy.)
Here's where it gets interesting: Should no copies be available, patrons will be prompted to purchase a copy of the e-book from the library catalog. Libraries will receive a 2% share of the proceeds from each e-book sold.
Libraries and publishers have struggled thus far to bring e-books to libraries, the latter worried that such a move would cut into retail sales of e-books. Random House, which has made its full catalog available to libraries without lending caps, charges libraries up to three times the standard retail price of an e-book. Others only make old titles or new titles available to libraries through pilot programs.
If the pilot proves successful, the program could be brought to other U.S. library systems, Simon & Schuster said in a statement [PDF]. Perhaps other publishers will adopt the model as well, creating a sustainable, long-term lending model that works for both libraries and publishers.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Vincent Desjardins
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