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Fairfax librarians say ebook licensing limits access and strains budgets; supervisors urged to push for federal fix
Summary
At an Oct. 15 joint meeting, Fairfax County Public Library staff told the Board of Supervisors that ebook licensing—where titles are licensed, not owned—raises prices, limits availability and forces repeated purchases; supervisors discussed federal and state advocacy and local budget responses.
Diane Cohen, acting deputy director for Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL), told the Board of Supervisors in a Oct. 15 presentation that electronic titles are licensed rather than owned, a distinction that limits libraries’ ability to buy and maintain digital collections and drives higher costs for taxpayers.
"Electronic titles are not owned like traditional titles. Rather, they're licensed like software," Cohen said, adding that "First Sale doctrine does not apply to ebooks," so libraries cannot resell or permanently keep many digital formats. She outlined common licensing models — perpetual access, metered (12- or 24-month) licenses, cost‑per‑checkout and simultaneous‑use subscriptions — and described how each model affects circulation, cost and long‑term access.
Cohen gave specific examples to…
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