I was just over on Smashwords.com, reading Mark Coker's updates. He was asking for opinions on the lending of ebooks from libraries. Wow, what a complex situation! I've been involved in the ebook thing from its inception, almost, and it is an historic moment for mankind. I mean, we are changing a part of human culture that has existed for ages. From stone tablets to dusty manuscripts, people have been reading for thousands of years. Now, a new technology has emerged and new problems have arisen with it. A moral question exists as well.
Mark's question to the authors of Smashwords was concerning how their books should be sold to libraries. Namely, should there be a pay-per-borrow system and if so, how much of a charge should be rendered per time your book was borrowed? Obviously, libraries have always had to buy their books. When a new hardcover came out, the library would buy a few copies and there would be a waiting list for the popular author's work.
Just as obviously, if a library bought one copy of an ebook and loaned it to 10,000 people at one time, it could impact a writer's income. I understand that this is not the case, however. The ebooks will be checked out in a similar way. What I mean to say is this: There will be a waiting list for ebooks and a "copy" will have to be "returned" before someone else can have it. The whole thing was just so complicated that I didn't participate in Mark's survey for the simple reason that I didn't know how to look at the matter.
Ultimately, I started to think about my own relationship with libraries. I've always loved them. I am so proud of the new library in own home town. It is new and modern, better than a small town could expect. There are computers, research facilities, a nice reading area with daily newspapers, the whole enchilada.
I thought back to my early years, when I could not have read at all except for the tiny library in my home town. All I knew at that time was "some rich people or the government, or somebody," made it possible for me to walk in and look through all these wonderful books about far-away places. Then, they would let me check one out and take it home with me. I could sit and read, escaping from my grim reality for a few hours and always learning something. I could swing through the trees with Tarzan of the Apes or face an evil gunfighter on the streets of old Dodge City with Zane Grey's characters.
The real issue here, for me, came down to a picture in my mind. I saw a ragged little boy who had walked several miles to read a book. I saw an elderly lady who had donated her time to run the place. I saw a government that had supplied the money for the books.
My books are, for the most part, a little too racy for young people. But it would insult the memory of that ragged little guy if I denied someone the chance to read a book.
From the reader's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
P.S. A year ago, folks made wild predictions about how quickly ebooks would spread in popularity. Now all those expectations have been exceeded. Only someone who still buys vinyl records would expect that this ebook thing will not shortly be the new I-Tunes. Only a tiny fraction of books will be read in paper form. I can sit in my recliner, shop for and buy a copy of any book and it will be on my device in 10 seconds. Someone is on the beach at this moment with their Kindle, buying a copy of The Dan Tattoo. It is truly amazing technology.
P.P.S. There is an app called Overdrive that enables you to check out ebooks from your public library. I just downloaded it and I am looking forward to checking out the ebook catalog at my local library.
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