Decatur, IL (WAND) – In the last six years, local libraries have seen an increase in people reading books digitally.
At the Decatur Public Library, electronic circulation jumped from 11% of total circulation to 27%. At the Lincoln Library in Springfield, e-book usage is growing 20% a year.
“The most efficient bang for your buck to deliver a book to the public is through a physical book,” said Rick Meyer, the city librarian for the Decatur Public Library. “With digital materials … the worst part is we pay sometimes as much as ten times more than consumers do.”
Meyer explained that typically, libraries can work together to purchase books at prices 40 to 50% lower than those of a typical consumer. The books typically last for years, and the library can repair them as needed.
On average, Meyer said the library is paying about 60 cents at checkout per book due to the cost of books. But that number is different for electronic materials.
“There was a John Grisham book that came out a few years ago that I could, as a private citizen, go on Amazon and buy the electronic copy for $9.99,” Meyer said. “It cost the library $89.99, and we could only check it out 26 times. ”
It’s not just the Decatur Public Library that’s dealing with this. The issue inspired House Bill 5236, the Digital Library Protection Act. Supporters said the issue breaks down to the way publishers control audio content.
“It is very difficult for the average library patron to understand why they have these really long hold lists,” said Emily Stone, assistant director of Lincoln Library. “You’re going, well, why don’t you just purchase another copy of this book? But they’re paying maybe $15 for the title that we’re paying $95 for.”
Stone is especially concerned about the accessibility needs for patrons who struggle with physical books or need to use digital content to increase text size. She said that if libraries need to implement limits on digital checkouts, it will cause issues for many people.
HB5236 says publishers cannot set unreasonable prices on e-books or audiobooks. They also would not be able to enforce certain restrictions on the online books that are shared. Several other states have proposed or passed similar legislation.
