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Library leaders warn ebook licensing costs remain high as student e‑cards roll out to districts
Summary
Staff said ebook and audiobook contracts from a few suppliers continue to inflate costs—sometimes three to eight times the physical price—and described rolling out e‑library cards to schools so students access digital collections through district accounts.
Scott County library staff explained that the cost of ebooks and audiobooks from the main suppliers remains high and that many popular digital titles cost libraries multiple times what physical copies cost. A staff member said digital licensing can run "3 to 8 times more" than physical purchases depending on the title and licensing model.
The library also said it has added Prior Lake and Savage school districts to a program that automatically issues e‑library cards through schools; the county intends to roll school digital cards out to the remaining districts so students can access digital collections from school. Staff noted that wait times on Libby indicate high public demand and that legislative efforts in Minnesota to cap costs have not yet passed.
