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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Libraries Cut E-Book Deal With Penguin (Wall Street Journal)

Penguin Group and electronic-book distributor 3M have made a deal with two New York City public library systems that will return Penguin e-books to library shelves for a one-year pilot.

If successful at the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library—two of the country's largest library systems—Penguin said it could offer similar deals to libraries across the U.S., including school and university libraries. And the deal could prompt other major publishers that currently don't sell e-books to libraries to soften their stances, said Matt Tempelis, global business manager for the 3M Cloud Library.

Penguin is one of four major publishers that don't make e-books available to libraries. Two others—Random House and HarperCollins—impose prices or circulation limits that make e-books impractical for libraries to acquire, library officials say.

The pilot, crafted to protect e-book sales, will delay the release of e-books to the libraries for six months after the titles go on sale in stores and online. Each library e-book will expire after a year.

Full story:
http://on.wsj.com/NROpP2

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