#hcod

I've been kind of captivated by the news about HarperCollins, which has cruelly decided that its ebooks will go kaboom after 26 checkouts. The company arrived at this arbitrary number because it seems to think that paper books also go kaboom after 26 checkouts, even though every budget-strapped public librarian knows that isn't even remotely true; see this awesome video for proof:



Every librarian-blogger in the universe has weighed in about the Whole Huge HarperCollins Thing in past weeks and I don't have much to add, except to say that I am glad that librarians are able to rise up as a group and oppose this. There are boycotts and coordinated efforts and angry Canadians, and that is awesome. The ALA president spoke out, and librarians forced the issue so far into the mainstream that even the NYT has had to pay attention. (That article also mentioned something I didn't know: Simon & Schuster and Macmillan won't sell ebooks to libraries at all. Seriously? That lends unhappy credence to the idea that publishers "see us as a problem," as one of my favorite bloggers put it, and makes me a little bit scared about the boycotts... clearly libraries aren't necessary for the ebook bottom line.)

But some of the media coverage is also getting one major thing wrong. The number 26 is not the point; the number 100 or 1200 checkouts wouldn't be the point. The point is that libraries have paid for those ebooks -- like, with money, and there sure isn't a lot of that going around -- and they OWN those ebooks. Getting into a licensing relationship like the one that academic libraries have for journal subscriptions would be hell, and I sincerely hope that #hcod doesn't lead down that path. The fact that academic libraries have gotten used to their sincerely crappy deals doesn't mean that their public comrades should join them.

This plan makes a lot of sense to me. I'd love to throw DRM right out the window where it belongs, but I think the universe isn't ready for it yet and that using copyright to get past the scary specter of licensing is OK for now.

Let's end with a great metaphor by Cory Doctorow, who is always amazingly adept at showing the stupidity of a shoddy argument:

Whether a HarperCollins book has the circulatory vigour to cope with 26 checkouts or 200, it's bizarre to argue that this finite durability is a feature that we should carefully import into new media. It would be like assuming the contractual obligation to attack the microfilm with nail-scissors every time someone looked up an old article, to simulate the damage that might have been done by our careless patrons to the newsprint that had once borne it.

Spoken from the dark side

Everyone has been doing such amazing posts that I felt compelled to jump in! As a little bit of background, I went to school with our other bloggers and am just as passionate about libraries, although my personal interests tend to lie in special collections and reference. After graduation though, I ended up at a library vendor company doing customer service. It's not where I saw myself heading, but it's been a good experience so far, and I think I can learn from it. I thought I would share one of the most basic and important things I've learned in a way that might help librarians.

So, we all know that libraries have budget issues. If you're talking to a vendor who doesn't know that, it is not a good vendor because it is completely disconnected from the library world. Library supplies can also be very expensive - I know! I see it every day! Especially if you're doing archival work or book repair, or buying new furniture. It can hurt.

But we can help! The company I work for offers discount codes to many, many groups of customers. If you are with a school or public library or in a state that has a contract or if you buy from us a lot, you might get a discount. Make sure everyone who would do purchasing knows about that - and always ask when you call in if you get a discount! We ask customers if they do, and we'll look them up for you, but only if you call. If you submit a purchase order or if you mail in an order or do it online and don't include it, too bad. The discounts can even include free shipping, which can make a huge difference. Library budgets are too tight to blow money on these mistakes!

And if the discount isn't enough of a discount, or if you're ordering a HUGE amount - especially furniture and book carts, ask for a bid! Most vendors, not just us, will offer a bid, and we will actually give you a bid on anything, even a small amount. It's useful if you need to get a purchase order approved, because it shows exactly how much things will cost. It can also save you money. At this company, at least, we're pretty friendly and we like librarians, and we understand budget problems. We'd rather keep you around than lose you because of a little pricing issue.

I know some people are nervous about haggling, and I understand. This isn't really even haggling - this is just asking what options are available to you. You might find there are more options than you thought!