Toronto Public Library Ending Used Book Buying Pilot Program

From The Star:

The Toronto Public Library is ending a fledgling program to buy used books for its collection after authors complained that they were missing out on royalties and the pilot project proved disappointing, the city’s chief librarian said Tuesday.
Launched Dec. 1, the initiative allowed Toronto residents to sell used books to the library for $5, provided the titles were on a list of in-demand adult fiction. The purpose of the program was to shorten hold times for readers and save money in a period of budget uncertainty.
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The program, which will formally end March 31, antagonized several high-profile writers. They complained that in bypassing publishers, the Library was depriving authors of income at a time when technological change is making book publishing increasingly precarious.
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Members of the public sold the library just 127 books, comprising 57 titles, in the initiative’s first three months.
“There wasn’t enough volume,” said Bowles. “It had no impact on our hold queue.”

Read the Complete Article (Approx 530 Words)
See Also: Author Shares Views on Toronto Public Library’s New “Sell Books to the Library” Program (December 21, 2014)
See Also: Official Toronto Public Library Page About Program (via The Wayback Machine)

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