"Amid a growing legislative movement at the state level, five major library associations on May 27 released a joint statement calling for the nation’s largest publishers to come to the table to negotiate fair pricing and access terms for public libraries in the digital library market."

"Citing an 'explosion in usage,' the joint statement reiterates the long-held view among librarians that the current dynamic in the digital library market—in which a handful of large publishers are charging high, non-negotiated prices for temporary access to the most popular ebooks and digital audiobooks—is simply not sustainable."

"Notably, nothing in the joint statement's ask is new: As Words & Money recently reported, librarians have been trying to get the major publishers to come to the table to negotiate the contours of the digital library market for more than 15 years."

"But the release does come at a critical moment, with library ebook legislation advancing in a handful of states and as the issues around digital library access are beginning to gain traction with the public, amid surging usage and frustration over long hold times."

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