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Unlikely Combatants: Librarians and Publishers Battle Over E-Book Loans

November 22, 2022

Librarians and publishers have staked out opposing views on e-book "windowing," a practice that prohibits libraries from loaning more than one copy of a new e-book until eight weeks after its release. Librarians say the resulting long waits, especially for bestsellers, threaten the fundamental mission of public lending libraries. Publishers believe that the increasing popularity of borrowing e-books hurts their profits -- and affects the financial survival prospects of authors, too. The e-book debate echoes developments in the music industry, where musicians and labels have had to adapt to the boom in streaming.

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