From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 22:50:26 -0500

If these ebooks can be simultaneously used by multiple patrons, the
publishers may be trying to offset the inevitable loss of paperback
sales for course adoptions, which could be very significant.   I'm
just speculating and have no data to support this hypothesis.

Sandy Thatcher


> From: Ann Shumelda Okerson <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 17:29:29 -0400
>
> As a number of libraries are becoming concerned about these pricing
> increases (as are university press publishers?) the letter below
> should be of wide interest. Ann
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>
> As many of you know, the BLC was quite distressed with the recent
> increases in short-term loan pricing by a number of publishers
> [primarily commercial].  It prompted us to look more closely at
> pricing across the publishers in our ebook DDA program [9 of the BLC
> libraries participate].  The Board then requested that we publicize
> our concern and a letter was drafted to The Chronicle of Higher
> Education and published today -
>
> http://chronicle.com/blogs/letters/ebook-pricing-hikes-amount-to-price-gouging/
>
> I am glad to discuss further with anyone interested.
>
> Best,
> Susan
>
> Susan M. Stearns
> Executive Director
> Boston Library Consortium
> Boston, MA  02109