By Jason Boog on Galley Cat, February 25, 2011
Today HarperCollins set off a wave of Twitter protests as librarians, readers, and authors criticized a new eBook lending policy for libraries. Follow all the angry tweets at the #hcod hashtag.
Library Journal reported that HarperCollins wants library eBook provider Overdrive to reduce the number of times a digital eBook can be checked out under a single license. Here’s an excerpt: “HarperCollins has announced that new titles licensed from library ebook vendors will be able to circulate only 26 times before the license expires.”
Following the news, librarian Leah L. White tweeted: “If you are frustrated and angry about the @harpercollins decision to cap ebook lending, the hashtag is: #hcod.” eBookNewser has more details about the evolving library policies. We’ve collected a few tweets from the thread below…
meoskop wrote: “I offer my support to Harper Collins editors, authors and staff. They’re victims of #hcod too. So sorry for y’all with this latest crazy.”
SmartBitches wrote: “It takes a lot of hubris to kick libraries when they’re down. You stay klassy Harper Collins.”
Nataliebinder wrote: “Imagine if our physical books had to be burned after a year of use. To me, it’s chilling, dystopian”
Heather McCormack wrote: “Publishing is a business, yes, but it’s part of complex system that libraries support. You cut them out, you cut out readers. Period.”
UPDATE: Guy L. Gonzalez passed along a link to novelist Neil Gaiman‘s response: “I think it’s incredibly disappointing.”
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