Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Can Publishers Make E-Books Self-Destruct? Librarians Fight Back

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
Selling ebooks to libraries that self-destruct after being loaned 26 times strikes be as just ridiculous. But that's the policy adopted by HarperCollins (owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp). Since then, libraries around the country have pledged not to buy HarperCollins e-books, and a boycott is still on. Librarian Andy Woodworth argues, "The idea of 'here today, gone tomorrow' works against librarian ideals of collecting for benefit of posterity. This policy threatens that by placing an limited lifespan on an e-book. It would make books disappear from the virtual shelf not from wear and tear, but from an arbitrary number determined by a company." You can sign the petition or Tweet using the hashtag #hcod.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
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Last Updated: Nov 04, 2024 3:14 p.m.

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