Washington librarians hoping to turn the page against rising cost of e-books

With costs rising, librarians say the situation is unsustainable.Libraries can no longer purchase e-books permanently like they could before. "The e-book of this title used to be $75 and we had it forever. Now it's $75 for two years. It expires and we have to buy another one," says Whatcom County Librarian Carmi Parker.

That's $200,000 a year for taxpayers in Whatcom County alone, and prices have steadily risen over the past decade.Librarians compare the rental agreement with publishers to taxpayer money that pays for a road -- only to have it torn up, paved and paid for again every two years. Rising costs are forcing libraries to buy fewer copies and/or wait longer to renew their leases.

"It's making it harder for people to read," says librarian Emma Radosevich."It's making it harder for people to get the information that they want." The CEO of America's Author's Guild tells KING 5,"Public libraries do not have enough funding, but forcing publishers and authors to sell e-books to libraries at severely discounted rates—especially in cases when the library e-books replace consumer sales—is not the solution. will simply take more money out of authors' and publishers' pockets." Librarians would like to see legislation passed to help close the affordability gap.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Washington spoils Pac-12 title hopes of rival, topping No. 18 Washington State 74-68Washington knocked off No. 18 Washington State 74-68 in the final Pac-12 Conference matchup between the cross-state rivals.
Source: komonews - 🏆 272. / 63 Read more »

Washington spoils Pac-12 title hopes of rival, topping No. 18 Washington State 74-68Koren Johnson scored 23 points, Keion Brooks Jr. added 22 and Washington knocked off No. 18 Washington State 74-68 in the final Pac-12 Conference matchup between the cross-state rivals.
Source: fox13seattle - 🏆 328. / 59 Read more »

This Man Walked From Washington State to Washington, DCThe website that Washington lives by.
Source: washingtonian - 🏆 74. / 68 Read more »

Washington State Cougars | FOX13 News | Seattle & Western WashingtonNews and scores for the Washington State University Cougars.
Source: fox13seattle - 🏆 328. / 59 Read more »

Washington reportedly hires athletic director Pat Chun away from rival Washington StateWashington is reportedly hiring Washington State athletic director Pat Chun, reaching across the state to fill its AD job.
Source: FOXSports - 🏆 280. / 63 Read more »

Talks on luring NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards to Virginia are overRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Negotiations to lure the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards to northern Virginia have “ended” and the proposal to
Source: Mynorthwest - 🏆 438. / 53 Read more »