‘A golden time for readers’ comes at a hefty cost for Centre County libraries

Libraries are not just for physical books anymore, but as Centre County libraries move into the digital age, accommodating new ways to reach readers comes at a cost.

E-books are essentially digital versions of print copies of books that readers can download or stream to their favorite devices such as phones, tablets or computers. Audiobooks bring the story to the ears, giving readers the option to have someone narrate the text.

Both end up costing local libraries as much as three times the cost of traditional books, according to Maria Burchill, head of adult services at Schlow.

“It depends on which publisher you’re dealing with, how many circulations then of that title you can get out of the book,” Burchill said.

The library has a set number of checkouts and circulations of a new e-book or audiobook before it has to purchase the license for a copy again. For example, Brady Clemens, district library consultant for Schlow, said the newest John Grisham book could cost $16 for print but $55 to license digitally.

“It’s huge. It’s a big difference. And we’re not just going to buy one copy of the John Grisham book,” Burchill said. “We’ve got to buy multiple licenses. We could spend $200 (on one book).”

While these expenses don’t necessarily affect Schlow’s bottom line, Clemens said they do stretch their materials budget very thin.

Combining resources

Schlow and branches of the Centre County Library have a partnership, along with libraries throughout central Pennsylvania, to distribute and stream e-books and audiobooks on the same platform.

These libraries maintain and provide the same database of titles by splitting an annual fee for the platform, called Overdrive. Users with a library card from either library can enter their information online to start checking out titles instantly.

The Overdrive collection is shared with libraries across four counties in the region — Centre, Clearfield, Mifflin and Juniata.

“Really, that’s sort of making the most efficient use of our combined resources,” Clemens said.

The story “files,” as they’re referred to, are treated as actual digital copies of the book. As with physical books, a limited number of copies are available for checkout at any given time.

Clemens said libraries wind up paying much more to license books to streaming platforms because publishers treat digital media differently from how they do printed books.

“The only real difference from our perspective (is) on the side of managing it,” Clemens said. “Publishers put certain terms on e-books that don’t apply in print.”

‘They have their choice’

Publishers also set an “expiration date” for the files and set conditions that titles must be checked out a certain number of times each year for circulation to continue.

So even after paying initially, the library needs to keep paying to maintain and uphold its collection, Burchill said.

Some publishers also increase licensing fees depending on how many people are in the area around the library and how many people utilize the library’s services. A bigger local population can mean bigger fees, as the potential base of users is larger, Clemens said.

Still, Clemens said the cost of digital media is worthwhile as their popularity grows. Overdrive is available 24 hours a day, offering users more than 15,000 titles, with over 12,000 e-books and over 3,000 audiobooks fromgenres including nonfiction, fiction and young adult.

“Every year we do see the circulation numbers uptick a little,” Clemens said. “E-books are still going up, but it’s digital audiobooks that are really increasing in popularity.”

As print remains popular, Burchill said it’s a good time for people who want to experience literature in new ways.

“Our director likes to call it a golden time for readers,” Burchill said. “They have their choice of how they consume a story: You can consume it audibly; you can consume it visually.”

This story was originally published March 18, 2019 at 2:31 PM.