HarperCollins Puts 26 Loan Cap on Ebook Circulations

["Hamaker, Charles" <cahamake@uncc.edu>]

>From Library Journal
By Josh Hadro Feb 25, 2011

http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889452-264/harpercollins_caps_loans_on_ebook.html.csp

HarperCollins Puts 26 Loan Cap on Ebook Circulations

The new provisions are the first significant revision to ebook 
lending terms

In the first significant revision to lending terms for ebook 
circulation, HarperCollins has announced that new titles licensed 
from library ebook vendors will be able to circulate only 26 
times before the license expires.

Mention of the new terms was first made in a letter from 
OverDrive CEO Steve Potash to customers yesterday. He wrote 
[emphasis in original]:

     [W]e have been required to accept and accommodate new terms 
for eBook lending as established by certain publishers. Next 
week, OverDrive will communicate a licensing change from a 
publisher that, while still operating under the one-copy/one-user 
model, will include a checkout limit for each eBook licensed. 
Under this publisher's requirement, for every new eBook licensed, 
the library (and the OverDrive platform) will make the eBook 
available to one customer at a time until the total number of 
permitted checkouts is reached.

Though the letter leaves the publisher unnamed, HarperCollins 
confirmed today to LJ that it is the publisher referred to.

The publisher also issued a short statement: "HarperCollins is 
committed to the library channel. We believe this change balances 
the value libraries get from our titles with the need to protect 
our authors and ensure a presence in public libraries and the 
communities they serve for years to come."

Josh Marwell, President, Sales for HarperCollins, told LJ that 
the 26 circulation limit was arrived at after considering a 
number of factors, including the average lifespan of a print 
book, and wear and tear on circulating copies.

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Charles Hamaker M.L.S | Associate University Librarian 
Collections and Electronic Resources
UNC Charlotte | J. Murrey Atkins Library
9201 University City Blvd. | Charlotte, NC 28223
Phone: 704-687-2825 | Fax: 704-687-2322
cahamake@uncc.edu

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