On July 25, the publisher Macmillan announced they would be making changes to their ebook lending terms. Beginning November 1, they will only allow MLS to purchase one copy of a new ebook with additional copies allowed 8 weeks after the title’s release. The anticipated outcomes of this change are longer wait times, frustrated customers, and a decrease in access – all things we strive to avoid.

Here are some important facts to communicate to customers:

• Audiobooks will not be affected – only ebooks.
• Wait times will be longer on Macmillan ebooks for their first 8 weeks of publication until we are permitted to purchase more copies.
• We have a robust collection of always available (i.e. no holds list) ebooks and audiobooks from hoopla [1].
• Let Macmillan know you disagree with these restrictions by signing the online petition at ebooksforall.org [2] and posting to social media with the hashtag #ebooksforall.
• Overdrive will be notifying customers when they put a hold on a new Macmillan title, “Due to publisher restrictions, your library is unable to purchase any more copies of the book until {date}. “

Marketing sent an email [3] to OverDrive users full of good information.

Currently, Collection Development has no plans to change our purchasing or holds process. However, we will be monitoring Macmillan titles closely and will adapt as needed.