Low-income people vs. e-books? Illinois controversy shows why the Harvard-based e-library initiative must not downplay nonelite’s needs

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, and, as a way of spotlighting the e-book mess at America's libraries, I'm glad it did.

The local NAACP and others in Rockford, Illinois, are protesting the local library system's plans to spend about a quarter of its $1.19-million collection budget on e-books. And I can understand the anger of low-income people, who fear they'll lack the resources to enjoy the digital books. "The library would only purchase print in the event that no digital version is available for a needed item," officials propose. Reportedly the goal would be for 95 of 100 books to be digital.

Making 50 Kindle e-readers available for loans—the solution the library system has in mind, according to a report in American Libraries—won't be enough. The number is pathetically small, given that more than a fifth of Rockford's 153,000 people are said to live in poverty. Complicating matters is that a library user who finally gets a Kindle may not be able to enjoy an e-book that he or she wants, because it, too, has people waiting for it.

The library board of trustees will hold its next meeting January 23, and I hope they'll consider the above. I'm not in Rockford and don't know all the facts there. But the envisioned 50-Kindle scenario reminds me of the current deficiencies of many American libraries, where kids from the wrong side of the tracks can enjoy only limited time on PCs. Computer lines, real or virtual, are great for making budget arguments for libraries, but they're oh so lousy for the young people and others who depend on the machines, whether for e-books or Internet access.

Alas, Rockford's local issues here can't be separated from the need for a well-stocked national digital library system serving the entire country, not just the upper socio-economic groups. With all expenses considered, libraries often are paying more for each e-book than they should, and quite logically, skeptics worry about recurring costs. The best solution would be a national digital library system with enough leverage to bargain fairly but effectively with publishers while respecting traditional library values. I'd also recommend that publishers and libraries spend less time fighting the copyright wars and more time fighting for library budgets at all levels of government. The more library books and other media available via libraries, the less of a piracy problem..........

http://librarycity.org/?p=3332