Libraries and Digital Books

[From article]
"OverDrive proposed a new contract that would raise administrative fees 700 percent by 2015.

In June, the Kansas state librarian and attorney general announced their intent to petition OverDrive for the right to terminate its contract. Kansas asserts that it owns the e-books it licensed and has the right to transfer them to a new service provider. To make sure, the state asked permission of 168 publishers. If the publishers dispute their request, Kansas will have effectively spent $568,000 for books it will no longer be able to access.
[. . .]
HarperCollins. In February, the publisher incurred the ire of librarians nationwide when it put a cap on the number of times libraries could lend their titles — after 26 checkouts, libraries would need to purchase the title again at full price. In the wake of this decision, more than 60,000 people signed a petition against HarperCollins, and many libraries openly boycotted purchasing their titles, digital and otherwise.
[. . .]
In Newport Beach, California, construction for a "bookless" public library is underway. As the Los Angeles Times reported in April, patrons will order books by speaking into a video camera; librarians in a remote location where the books are stored will then send the books to Newport Beach for pickup at a later date.
[. . .]
in two thirds of the country, libraries are the only place to access the Internet for free. In other words, the public library of 2011 has become the last refuge for the technologically disenfranchised.
[. . .]
Boston Public Library received a grant to buy Kindles in order to lend them to the general public. With e-books on their way to becoming widely accessible, libraries will be free to move more of their resources into digital materials, shed personnel,"

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/arts/124475-will-kindles-kill-libraries/

Will Kindles kill libraries?
In this corner: libraries struggling to bring in patrons. In the other: Kindles looking to expand their market. Will it be a bloodbath, or can they hug it out?
By EUGENIA WILLIAMSON
July 27, 2011