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Boycott of Macmillan eBooks

Handley Regional Library System has voted to boycott Macmillan eBooks. In this effort, we join the library systems listed below who protest Macmillan’s inequitable new embargo on eBooks, and we invite other U.S. and Canadian libraries to join us.

Why?

On November 1, 2019, Macmillan began limiting libraries to the purchase of a single, electronic copy of a title for the first sixty days after publication, regardless of the number of people the library system serves or the number of branches. After this 60-day embargo libraries can purchase additional copies at inflated prices reserved for libraries. These copies expire after two years, at which point libraries must either re-purchase them at full price or lose access to those copies. By allowing only one copy to be purchased in the first two months, Macmillan sends a clear signal that it does not value the purchasing power of libraries and does not recognize the valuable support that libraries provide to publishers and authors by exposing readers to new authors and interests.

Library systems that are not purchasing Macmillan eBooks:

ARKANSAS

  • Arkansas Digital Library Consortium, AR, representing 34 library systems in Arkansas serving 3.014 million residents.

CALIFORNIA

  • Napa Valley Unified School District libraries, Napa, CA, serving 16,750 students.
  • Nevada County Community Library, Nevada County, CA, with 6 locations serving 100,000 residents.
  • Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, CA, with 28 branches serving 1.5 million residents in the city and county. Sacramento Public Library was in the top 25 libraries by ePurchases in 2017.
  • San Diego Public Library, San Diego, CA, with 36 locations, serving 1.426 million residents.
  • San Jose Public Library, San Jose, CA with 25 locations serving 1.030 million residents.
  • Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Santa Cruz, CA with 10 locations serving 214,000 residents in the city and county.
  • Sutter County Library, Sutter County, CA with 3 locations serving 97,000 residents.
  • Yolo County Library, Yolo County, CA, representing 9 libraries serving 220,000 residents.

COLORADO

  • Estes Valley Library, Estes Park, CO, with 1 location serving 12,000 residents.
  • Poudre River Public Library District, Fort Collins, CO, with 3 locations serving 192,000 residents.

CONNECTICUT

  • Connecticut State Library, serving the 3.573 million residents of Connecticut.
  • Greenwich Library, Greenwich, CT, with 3 locations serving 63,000 residents.

IOWA

  • Cedar Rapids Public Library, Cedar Rapids, IA, with 2 locations, serving 132,000 residents.
  • Des Moines Public Library, Des Moines, IA, with 6 locations, serving 218,000 residents.

KANSAS

  • Kansas State Library, Topeka, KS, which makes collections of eBooks and eAudiobooks available to the 2.912 million residents of Kansas.
  • Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, Topeka and Shawnee County, KS, serving 177,000 residents.

KENTUCKY

LOUISIANA

  • New Orleans Public Library, New Orleans, LA, with 14 locations, serving 391,000 residents.

MASSACHUSETTS

  • The Public Library of Brookline, Brookine, MA, with 3 locations serving 59,000 residents.

MISSISSIPPI

  • First Regional Library, Northwestern MS, with 14 locations serving 5 counties, including suburbs of Memphis. The system currently serves about 300,000 residents.

NEBRASKA

  • Omaha Public Library, Omaha NE, serving the City of Omaha and Douglas County with 12 locations and 562,000 residents.

NEW JERSEY

  • Bergen County Cooperative Library System with 77 libraries in New Jersey’s Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Passaic Counties, serving 1.3 million residents.
  • eLibraryNJ, a consortium of 70 libraries serving 2.66 million residents in central New Jersey.
  • Somerset County Library System, Somerset County, NJ with 12 branches serving 330,000 residents. It describes its rationale for the boycott here.

NEW YORK

  • Larchmont Public Library, Larchmont, NY with 1 location serving 17,000 residents.
  • Monroe County Library System, near Rochester, NY, including the libraries of 16 towns, 2 villages, a school district and the City of Rochester. It serves 744,000 residents.
  • White Plains Public Library, White Plains, NY, with 1 location serving 60,000 residents.

NORTH CAROLINA

NORTH DAKOTA

  • North Dakota Digital Consortium, a consortium of 42 public libraries serving 626,000 residents.
  • North Dakota State Library, Bismarck, ND, serving the 670,000 residents of the state of North Dakota.

OHIO

OREGON

  • Multnomah County Library, based in Portland, OR, with 22 locations, serving 812,000 residents. Read the press release here. Multnomah County was one of the top 15 U.S. libraries by eMaterial purchases in 2017.

PENNSYLVANIA

  • Berks County Library System, Berks County, PA representing 20 libraries, serving 400,000 residents.
  • Bucks County Free Library, Bucks County, PA, with 7 locations, serving 628,000 residents.
  • Luzerne County Library, Luzerne County, PA, with 10 participating library systems and 320,000 residents.

RHODE ISLAND

  • Cranston Public Library, Cranston, RI, with 6 locations serving 82,000 residents.

SOUTH CAROLINA

  • Anderson County Library System, Anderson, SC, with 9 locations serving 200,400 residents.
  • Charleston County Public Library, Charleston County, SC, with 19 locations serving 406,000 residents.
  • Colleton County Memorial Library, Colleton County, SC, with 3 locations, serving 39,000 residents.
  • Florence County Library System, Florence County, SC, with 6 locations serving 138,000 residents.
  • Georgetown County Public Library, Georgetown County, SC, with 4 locations serving 62,400 residents.
  • Greenwood County Library System, Greenwood County, SC, with 3 locations serving 71,000 residents.
  • Horry County Library System, Horry County, SC, with 10 locations serving 344,000 residents.
  • Lexington County Public Library System, Lexington County, SC, with 10 locations serving 295,000 residents.
  • Marion County Library System, Marion County, SC, with 3 locations serving 31,000 residents.
  • Oconee County Public Library, Oconee County, SC, with 4 locations serving 78,000 residents.
  • York County Library, York County, SC, with 5 locations serving 274,000 residents.

TENNESSEE

  • Nashville Public Library, Nashville, TN, representing 21 library branches in Tennessee’s capital city, serving 1.5 million residents.

TEXAS

  • San Antonio Public Library, San Antonio, TX, with 31 locations serving 1.532 million residents.

UTAH

  • Utah’s Online Library, a consortium of 69 library systems, serving approximately 1.48 million residents. The consortium includes all public libraries in Utah with the exception of Davis County, Cache County, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, and Murray.

VIRGINIA

  • Alexandria Library, Alexandria, VA with 5 locations, serving 161,000 residents.
  • Chesapeake Public Library, Chesapeake, VA, with 7 locations serving 250,000 residents.
  • Chesterfield County Public Library, Chesterfield County, VA with 11 locations serving 349,000 residents.
  • Fairfax County Public Library, Fairfax County, VA, with 23 branches serving 1.151 million residents. Fairfax County was one of the top 30 U.S. libraries by eMaterial purchases in 2017.
  • Handley Regional Library System, based in Winchester, VA, with 3 locations serving 131,000 residents.
  • James L. Hamner Public Library, Amelia County, VA with 1 location serving 12,900 residents.
  • Massanutten Regional Library, serving the 158,00 residents of the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham and Page Counties with 7 locations.
  • Virginia Beach Public Library, Virginia Beach, VA, with 10 locations serving 450,000 residents.

WASHINGTON

  • King County Library System, King County, WA, representing 50 library branches in Washington State, serving 1.5 million residents. KCLS circulated more eBooks and eAudiobooks than any other U.S. library in 2018.
  • Timberland Regional Library, 5 counties in Washington State, with 27 locations, serving over 500,000 residents.
  • Washington Digital Library Consortium, 21 counties in Washington State, representing 45 libraries and serving 820,000 residents.

WISCONSIN

  • Wisconsin Public Library Consortium, serving the 5.814 million residents of the state of Wisconsin with the Wisconsin Digital Library. Details here.

WEST VIRGINIA