Why did libraries announce they would 'reduce the limit on the number of e-book reservations'?
Digital content, including e-books, has become widespread in society, and it is becoming common for public libraries to lend out e-books and e-audiobooks. However,
The Seattle Public Library Is Reducing Our Maximum Digital Holds. Here's Why. – Shelf Talk
https://shelftalkblog.wordpress.com/2024/03/13/the-seattle-public-library-is-reducing-our-maximum-digital-holds-heres-why/
The Seattle Public Library, which operates 27 libraries in the city of Seattle, including the Central Library, has reduced the maximum number of e-books and e-audiobooks that can be reserved from 25 to 10 starting March 19, 2024. If you have 10 or more reservations as of March 19, your existing e-books and e-audiobooks will not be affected, but you will not be able to make new reservations until the number of reservations falls below 10. The maximum number of digital content that can be borrowed will remain the same as before, at 25.
In a blog post, the Seattle Public Library said, 'While the majority of our patrons will not be affected by this change, we want to explain why we needed to reduce reservation numbers as our libraries respond to growing interest in digital books while managing expenses,' and explained the reasons for the change in a question-and-answer format.
Q: Why did the library need to reduce reservation limits?
A: The start of lending digital content is one of the biggest changes in recent library history. E-books have been growing in popularity for some time, but the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend. The Seattle Public Library has tripled the number of annual digital content loans between 2015 and 2022, and has increased spending on digital content to meet the needs of its users, but e-books are expensive and the increase in costs has reached an unsustainable level.
Q: Why are e-books so expensive?
A: When consumers buy e-books or e-audiobooks, they usually pay the same price as a physical book or a little less. However, publishers sell e-books to libraries under a 'license model,' which requires a license for each copy of an e-book that is loaned out, and the license must be purchased annually. As a result, digital content can cost more than three times as much as physical content.
Q: Why would lowering your reservation limits help save costs?
A: Contrary to popular belief, patron reservations are the biggest driver of digital content costs. When reservations are too high, libraries purchase additional licenses for digital content to avoid increasing wait times too much. So when hundreds of patrons reserve a single best-seller, the cost of fulfilling those reservations can quickly become prohibitive.
In fact, in 2023, about 62% of spending on digital content was spent on purchasing additional licenses to process reservations for popular titles. The graph below shows the amount spent by the Seattle Public Library on purchasing e-books from 2015 to 2023. Black represents the amount spent on replacing old content, blue represents the amount spent on purchasing new e-books, and orange represents the amount spent on purchasing additional licenses to handle reservations. It can be seen that the amount spent on purchasing additional licenses is higher than the amount spent on purchasing new e-books.
Q: Is this change due to budgetary issues for the city?
A: No. This change is part of routine service adjustments made by the Library to accommodate budgetary and personnel resources. The Library has been monitoring the rising cost of e-books for several years and has been evaluating courses of action on how to best manage this issue.
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