Smart Cookies Read

At this season when there are lots of Christmas cookies

and, yes, even a few cookie stories*, as you think about e-readers, it's worth remembering the importance of reading and libraries.  I have a large personal library, but can never have all the books I would want.  Online there are many resources for Public Domain books and libraries are subscribing to e-book services.  There's a Grinch or Scrooge, however, that exists in the publishing world. "Publishers being Scrooges when it comes to e-books" is worth reading.  As the article from Tacoma's News Tribune points out:  Currently, only two of the six major publishers, HarperCollins Publishers and Random House Inc., are selling e-books to libraries, but even then at huge mark-ups or with impossible usage restrictions.  The erotic bestseller, 50 Shades of Grey, convinced many people to buy in e-reader format rather than carry around the book advertising what they were reading.  Publishers charged libraries $47.85 for the same e-book that sold on Amazon.com for $9.99!

Libraries actually generate book sales because borrowers frequently buy books after discovering authors through libraries.  Back in library school I heard about the Get'EmAll method of book acquisition.  There's no way any individual or library can afford to buy, much less shelve or store on computers all they want.  (Does the Library of Congress these days still get a copy of all U.S. books?)  Do you want libraries to have e-books?

What can you do? 

Go to Pierce County Library’s email campaign – look for this Scrooge and, under the image, find the words You can help!  It lists the major publishers and gives sample emails.  They would also like a cc of your email.  I believe in personalizing emails, so I did the cc, but omitted their name from my own email and named my home library so publishers know this is something wanted in libraries everywhere.

Now about those cookie stories*
I'll follow this post soon with a few sources and maybe an original telling or 2 or 3 or. . . we'll see.
It's calorie free and I'll season it with facts about libraries (and the research to back it up.)