Amazon and DPLA in “Active Discussions” to Make Amazon Publishing eBook Titles Available to Libraries

Added December 4, 2020:
“Update on DPLA’s Discussions with Amazon Publishing” (via DPLA)

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From The Hill:

Amazon’s refusal to sell e-books published in-house to libraries is sparking backlash as demand for digital content spikes during the coronavirus pandemic.

Librarians and advocacy groups are pushing for the tech giant to license its published e-books to libraries for distribution, arguing the company’s self-imposed ban significantly decreases public access to information.

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“You shouldn’t have to have a credit card in order to be an informed citizen,” Michael Blackwell, director of St. Mary’s County Library in Maryland, told The Hill. “It’s vital that books continue to be a source of information and that those books should be democratically discovered through libraries.”

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Amazon declined to provide details regarding pricing or the lengths of licensing deals it plans to test in 2021.

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Michele Kimpton, director of business development and senior strategist at the DPLA, said Amazon has been in discussions with the group since the summer about making their published e-books available.

If a deal is reached, the DPLA would be able to provide Amazon’s digital content for libraries across the nation to license through the DPLA’s content exchange platform, Kimpton said.

Read the Complete Article (approx. 1280 words)

See Also: 11,000 Call on Amazon to End War on Libraries (via Fight For the Future)

Filed under: Libraries, News, Publishing