Digital Public Library of America and Independent Publishers Group have partnered to rewrite the future of providing ebooks to benefit libraries, authors and readers alike
The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and Independent Publishers Group (IPG) have announced a groundbreaking agreement that will transform how American libraries provide access to books for millions of readers.
Through this landmark collaboration between IPG and DPLA, libraries around the country will now have the power to purchase and own in perpetuity, rather than merely license, tens of thousands of ebook and audiobook titles from dozens of independent publishers. The agreement will empower libraries to fulfill their mission to provide access to books for readers nationwide. Publishers such as Austin Macauley, Arcadia Publishing, Dynamite Entertainment, Dover Publications and JMS Books, alongside dozens of other renowned indie publishers, are participating in the deal.
Since the advent and spread of digital content, libraries have only been able to license ebooks and audiobooks from publishers and aggregators with no option to buy, trapping libraries in licensing agreements where they must spend more money for fewer books that they do not own. Instead of being spaces where readers can explore emerging authors or more uncommon works, libraries have been under pressure to focus on bestsellers and titles by big name authors that are in high demand. A growing number of library leaders recognized that having to rent ebooks and audiobooks prevented them from fulfilling their mission of collecting, preserving, and ensuring long-term access to books for all readers.
“Most readers don’t know that the thousands of libraries offering access to ebooks don’t actually own that digital content themselves, the way they do the physical books on their shelves. That can limit libraries’ ability to preserve content, update the formats when needed, share the content with other libraries and transfer the content when they change systems. Libraries, which are already tragically underfunded and under-resourced, often have to license the books from publishers, too often at a high price,” said DPLA Executive Director John S. Bracken. “This groundbreaking agreement with IPG begins to change these practices. We’re hopeful that more publishers will join us to make their books more accessible to readers everywhere.”
Now, libraries will be able to purchase books through the Palace Marketplace, a non-profit ebook and audiobook platform developed by The Palace Project in consultation with libraries, for libraries. The Palace Project provides libraries with tools and resources that allows patrons to access the broadest possible range of ebooks and audiobooks sourced from the widest variety of sources. Among the tens of thousands of books that are now available for libraries to own and lend out digitally are contemporary award-winning titles, like Leticia Aguilar’s spellbinding memoir Leaving Patriarchy Behind, Michael Nicholson’s The Mosaic Escalator, a mind-bending adventure story nominated for the Best Fiction Book Award by the Golden Book Awards 2024, as well as classics like Elizabeth Bowen’s debut novel The Hotel.
“At IPG, we have always supported libraries and the crucial role they play in providing access, facilitating discovery, and preserving books for the long term,” said Joe Matthews, CEO of Independent Publishers Group. “We are proud to help our publishers offer libraries terms that promote these important roles by including the option for libraries to own digital copies of the books they purchase.”
“After more than 12 years explaining to policy makers and publishers why existing license models for ebooks prevent libraries from fulfilling their mandates, this agreement is a win that libraries, publishers and authors should celebrate together,” said Christina de Castell, Chief Librarian & CEO of the Vancouver Public Library. “Now, libraries will be able to take steps to share and preserve authors’ ebooks as we have always shared and preserved their print books. I hope this agreement is a model that leads other publishers towards more flexible licensing terms, so libraries can continue to be the home for our collective knowledge in our increasingly digital world.”
“Copyright’s ‘first sale doctrine’ is important to readers and libraries for a number of reasons, not least of which is the way that it facilitates long-term preservation and access,” noted Lyrasis CEO John Wilkin. “Licensing models have threatened this critical underpinning, which is needed for preservation of the cultural record. Lyrasis is excited to collaborate with DPLA and IPG in the creation of a model that will make preservation and access of digital content possible.”
To learn more, visit https://ebooks.dp.la.
