Press Release: Statement on Ebook Equity

North American Elected Officials Send Message to E-Book Publishers: Price Gouging Public Libraries Is Unacceptable

Mayors from major urban jurisdictions sign statement urging e-book publishers to institute equitable and transparent pricing for public libraries.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 6, 2019

TORONTO and WASHINGTON – Seventy-nine elected officials from North American cities and counties have signed the joint Canadian Urban Libraries Council / Conseil des Bibliothèques Urbaines du Canada and Urban Libraries Council’s Statement on Equitable Public Access to E-Books, championing the urgent need for equitable e-book pricing and access for public libraries. The statement has been signed by mayors and county executives from some of the largest urban jurisdictions in North America – together, these leaders serve over 44 million citizens.

The statement has been issued in direct response to Macmillan Publisher’s embargo on e-book sales to libraries that went into effect on November 1. With this new policy, libraries cannot purchase more than a single copy of new e-book titles from Macmillan for the first two months after the book’s initial publication. The Macmillan embargo will prevent libraries from providing equitable access to digital learning opportunities, widening the digital divide, and creating even greater obstacles for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Multinational Publishers are price-gouging taxpayers and intensifying the gaps between the haves and have-nots in communities of all sizes with their restrictive licenses and excessively high prices. Most concerning is the new e-book embargo imposed by Macmillan Publishers, which results in an intentional erosion of digital equity by severely restricting e-book access for library patrons,” said CULC/CBUC Chair Pilar Martinez and ULC President & CEO Susan Benton. “By signing the Statement on Equitable Public Access to E-Books, North America’s mayors and county executives are sending a powerful message they will not stand for the extreme restrictions e-book publishers are placing on public libraries, which limit/jeopardize their essential role as engines for democracy.”

Developed by CULC/CBUC in partnership with ULC, the statement serves as a platform for city and county leaders to show their support for the vital role that libraries play in building educated communities, and to add their voices to the call for e-book publishers to eliminate discriminatory lending models for libraries. The statement reads as follows:

Major publishers have introduced severe restrictions to e-book and e-audiobook lending for public libraries, including embargoes on the sales of new titles and unreasonably high prices, which far exceed the prices offered for print books. As a result, libraries will be unable to fulfill their core functions in building educated, literate communities. These restrictions will be most harmful for populations who already face significant barriers to equitable knowledge and information access in our communities – including youth, people living with disabilities, and those with limited financial means.

Public libraries play an essential role in leveling the playing field and strengthening the foundation of our communities. As digital technologies become increasingly inseparable from the ways that people learn, work, and interact, the library’s unique ability to create onramps for information and knowledge access is more important than ever. There is significant, rising demand for e-books and e-audiobooks from public library users – overall, digital content circulation is increasing by 30% per year.

As elected public officials and trusted leaders in our communities, we are committed to protecting and supporting the capacity of public libraries to:

• Provide equal access for individuals to gain knowledge and become proficient with digital tools, regardless of their income, physical abilities, age, gender, sexual orientation, race, citizenship status or religion.
• Support lifelong learning and foster empathy, curiosity, civic engagement and a love of reading among community members.
• Educate community members about the rights, responsibilities and implications of their lives online, including data privacy risks when accessing online learning resources and digital content.
• Serve as valued partners to local government in advancing city/county outcomes for digital inclusion and as institutions that support informed citizens.

Our cities and counties are strongest when all individuals have the same opportunities to further their personal, educational and professional goals. Our democracy is non-negotiable. We stand with all who are urging e-book and e-audiobook publishers to institute fair, transparent, and flexible lending models for public libraries.

The following mayors and county executives (USA) have signed on to the above statement

In Canada

In the United States

Visit urbanlibraries.org for more information about the statement and the most up-to-date list of signatories.

About the Canadian Urban Libraries Council / Conseil des Bibliothèques Urbaines du Canada

The mission of the Canadian Urban Library Council/ Conseil des Bibliotheques Urbaines du Canada (CULC/CBUC) is to work collaboratively to build vibrant urban communities by strengthening the capacity of Canada’s urban libraries. For more than 25 years CULC/CBUC has worked to ensure better library service within this nation’s populated urban areas. To achieve the mission the organization is dedicated to the following: Research; Capacity Building; and Knowledge Transfer.

The members attend to the needs of over 7.5 million active users who on an annual basis make more than 380 million uses of our near 700 locations and virtual services. The membership employs more than 12,000 library workers, more than 70% of all Canadians are served by a CULC/CBUC member library and the associated activity comprises more than 80% of Canada’s public library activity. The mandate is ambitious and the reach significant.

About the Urban Libraries Council

The Urban Libraries Council is an innovation and impact tank of North America’s leading public library systems. ULC drives cutting-edge research and strategic partnerships to elevate the power of libraries as essential, transformative institutions for the 21st-century. More than 150 urban member libraries in the U.S. and Canada rely on ULC to identify significant challenges facing today’s communities and provide new tools and techniques to help libraries achieve stronger outcomes in education, digital inclusion, workforce and economic development, and race and social equity.

CULC/CBUC Press Contact
Jefferson Gilbert, Executive Director
416-699-1938
jgilbert@culc.ca

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