Harper Collins and Libraries

While the attention of law librarians everywhere was trained on Oak Brook, Illinois and news coming from the AALL Vendor Colloquium, another interesting vendor/library news story has been developing. 

Harper Collins has decided to change its agreement with public libraries.   It informed OverDrive, a vendor that delivers eBooks to libraries, that Harper Collins eBooks can only be checked out 26 times.  After that, libraries will need to "buy" a new copy.   Libraries and librarians are angry and calls for a boycott of Harper Collins have been made.   Here's a blog/link roundup:

• BoingBoing Blog Post that kicked off the drama
• OverDrive responds
• Harper Collins Responds (Say what you will about our vendors in LawLibraryLand, but at least they never tried a library relations blog called "Library Love Fest" with butterflies and flowers on it!)
• Overview and large collection of links from Library Bloggers by Librarian By Day
• Library Renewal proposes alternative to anger and boycott
• The Librarian in Black proposes a "eBook User Bill of Rights"
• Finally, much of the discussion is occurring on Twitter under the hashtag #hcod 

While this doesn't directly affect law libraries NOW, I have a suspicion that this won't be the last time libraries and vendors tussle over eBook circulation rights. [SG]