Will State Law Solve the Library eBook Crisis?

Libraries increasingly face restrictive digital licensing terms that can make eBooks far more expensive than print, expire after a set number of checkouts or months, and limit libraries’ ability to preserve, share, or provide equitable access to digital books. The result is a system in which libraries can spend more and more money simply to keep access to books they once would have owned outright.

Now, a growing number of states are taking a different approach: changing the rules for library eBook contracts.

In this live recording of Future Knowledge, we’ll explore the emerging state-by-state movement to establish fairer terms for library eBook licensing. What could these laws mean for libraries, publishers, authors, and—most importantly—the readers libraries serve? How do state laws interact with federal copyright law? And could a state-by-state strategy change the economics and expectations of digital books?

Join us for a conversation with Kyle K. Courtney and Juliya Ziskina of the eBook Study Group, and Deborah Schander, State Librarian of Connecticut, about the efforts to ensure that libraries can build lasting collections and preserve knowledge for the future.