O’Dea Applauds New Law for Libraries on E-Books

HARTFORD- State Rep. Tom O’Dea (New Canaan & Wilton) hailed a new law making electronic books – read on devices such as iPads, Kindles and Nooks – more accessible to state residents by making them more affordable for public libraries.
The House Bill 5614: An Act Concerning a Study Regarding the Availability of Electronic Books to Users of Public Libraries has been signed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy.
The new law will require the Commissioner of Consumer Protection to conduct a study to survey “whether and how book publishers and third-party electronic book distributors sell, license or otherwise make electronic books available to users of public libraries in this state.” The participants in the study are also charged with making “recommendations to increase the availability of electronic books to users of public libraries in this state.”
The study is to be completed, and a report made by the State Commissioner of Consumer Protection, no later than Feb. 1, 2014.
“Libraries provide services to the entire population of our towns and cities. At present there is no clear access for libraries to provide this medium at a fair cost and/or licensing agreement. Anything that reduces the “budgetary pressures” on small towns and as such is in favor of reducing costs to libraries in purchasing e-books,” said Rep. O’Dea.
During the public hearing phase of the process, the Connecticut Library Association testified that public libraries want fair access to publishers’ e-books at a reasonable price and with reasonable restrictions on lending policies.
