A Conversation with Alan Inouye, Andrea Berstler, and, well, (sorry) Me

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Recently as part of Maryland Library Association’s MLA Conversations, Alan Inouye (Senior Director, Public Policy & Government Relations, American Library Association), Andrea Berstler (Executive Director, Carroll County Public Library; Chair, Maryland Library Association’s Legislative Panel) and I spoke about Maryland’s e-book legislation. We covered the following topics:

  • What have been some of the greatest challenges that libraries have faced in recent years in lending ebooks and e-content more broadly to our communities?

  • So far we’ve been talking mostly about the traditional publishers. Where does Amazon.com fit among these concerns?

  • How have libraries been trying to address these challenges in the public policy arena? We’ll discuss the new Maryland law in a moment, but I understand that Rhode Island has reintroduced a bill in their state legislature while New York has passed a bill that is awaiting signature. What would these accomplish if they take effect?

  • How did the Maryland bill get introduced in the 2021 session in Annapolis? What led to it being passed by the General Assembly? What do we expect will be the effect of this bill now becoming law in Maryland?

  • In May 2021 there was also news about the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) signing an agreement with Amazon Publishing to make their ebooks available to U.S. libraries. What details do we know about this arrangement?

  • Is there any action expected at the federal level? Has any legislation been introduced in Congress that could ensure that libraries have the ability to lend ebooks? Are there any court cases we should be paying attention to?

  • Where do we see some of these trends going in the next few years? Do we expect more opportunities for libraries to lend ebooks? Or will we see more restrictive terms?

If interested, you may view the conversation here. Any thoughts? Please comment below!