"More than 90% of the public library digital market is controlled by one private equity leveraged company ... this decision gives publishers carte blanche to continue to force libraries into unconscionable monopoly contracts and lock them into their closed surveillance apps."
The locus of control in the relationship between libraries and publishers has shifted definitively in favor of the latter. Publishers can simply refuse to provide ebooks, and as a significant volume of publishing shifts to digital-first, that means that libraries can't get those books at all.
@jennwilson.bsky.social Free people read freely in their format of choice! While consumer advocacy is certainly needed, the solution has to be at the institutional level. Your library bought these materials, please use them! See our advocacy site for more: https://ebooksfor.us. 1/
Something you can do is search and browse in the library catalog instead of Libby and consult your librarian for recommendations instead of the algorithm. The apps have every incentive to keep you from your actual library infrastructure, but they are rental vendors of content, not your library!
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>>fast forward 15 years>>
“Why are my property taxes so high?”