Libraries and Publishers – eBooks

An open letter was released September 24 by American Library Association (ALA)  President Maureen Sullivan regarding the refusal of Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Penguin to provide access to their ebooks in US libraries: “If our libraries’ digital bookshelves mirrored the New York Times fiction bestseller list, we would be missing half of our collection any given week due to these publishers’ policies. The popular Bared to You and The Glass Castle are not available in libraries because libraries cannot purchase them at any price.” The Association of American Publishers issued a response to the letter on September 25. David Rothman offers some insight at TeleRead.