Faced with a decision by a major publisher that could negatively affect the ability of its members to carry new books, the American Library Association (ALA) is trying a new tactic: It’s asking the public for help.
This week, ALA made a push for the public to speak out against Macmillan Publishers’ decision to effectively put a two-month embargo on electronic copies of its new books at libraries, starting November 1. The publishing firm will allow library systems to have only a single electronic copy of a new book upon its release, despite the fact that a library system can cover a major metropolitan area.
When Macmillan announced the move in July, John Sargent, the company’s CEO, argued that library readers were “cannibalizing our digital sales” and that a remedy to the rising use of electronic books in libraries was necessary.
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