Ellen Paul on Connecticut's Ebook Bill

Ellen Paul, Executive Director of the CT Library Consortium, has penned an excellent opinion piece on Connecticut’s Digital Content Law. Using comparisons to things lay reader would know, she makes a strong case for why the law is needed there (and in fact everywhere). Here are some excerpts, but do read the whole piece.

“Imagine if the Department of Transportation had to pay four to six times more than your neighborhood driveway contractor for asphalt. Now imagine if all our roads completely disappeared after two years and the DOT had to build them all over again.”

“Sounds crazy, right? But those are the terms and conditions that public libraries across Connecticut are forced to accept every day – not for asphalt of course, but for eBooks.”

“Let’s remember who is paying these prices: taxpayers. Public libraries support their collections, at least in part, with municipal dollars.”

“Normally, when the state or a municipality buys anything from pencils to asphalt, they go through a procurement process to ensure that taxpayer funds are being spent responsibly. Somehow, publishers have been able to skirt procurement law for the last 20 years. Librarians in Connecticut are asking for that to change.”

“Some bills raised in other states failed because they bumped up against federal copyright law. But Connecticut’s bills are different. They set contract terms.”

“Think about California’s gas mileage requirements for cars. California isn’t telling Ford that they MUST sell cars to California. They’re saying that if Ford WANTS to sell cars to California, they need to adhere to certain terms and conditions California sets. That is what Connecticut’s eBook bills are attempting to do: regulate an out-of-control library eBook marketplace. Libraries spend municipal, state and federal dollars on eBooks. The state absolutely has the authority to ensure that these dollars are responsibly spent.”

“Libraries in Connecticut are asking the state for help. Not just for libraries, not just for readers, but for every Connecticut taxpayer who deserves a better return on their investment.”

Hear hear! Well said! Let us point out, as always, that any medium and small publishers already offer fair terms. They have nothing to fear from our state ebook efforts. To publishers that jack up library prices, perhaps with the aim of making access difficult while benefitting from reader discovery of books through us, we say enough! And our legislators and voters are going to be saying it, too.