美国国家公共电台 NPR You May Have To Wait To Borrow A New E-Book From The Library

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

If you are someone who depends on e-books from the library, it could take a lot longer to get that hot new book you want. That is because starting today, Macmillan Publishers, one of the five largest publishing houses in the country, is drastically restricting sales of its new e-books to public libraries.

Under Macmillan's old rules, a large library system - think New York, Chicago - they might have ordered hundreds of digital copies of an eagerly awaited book. Now, each system, large or small, can buy only one e-book for the first eight weeks after it goes on sale. NPR's Lynn Neary has the story.

LYNN NEARY, BYLINE¹: When Macmillan CEO John Sargent announced the new guidelines for e-book sales last July, he said library lending was cannibalizing the sale of e-books. According to Sargent, 45% of Macmillan's e-books are being borrowed for free from libraries, and he adds that number is growing rapidly. Sargent decided² to limit e-book sales in those early weeks because that's when interest is highest.

JOHN SARGENT: The best comparison is the movie industry probably.

NEARY: Sargent points out that movies get their biggest box office returns on opening weekend. When audiences dwindle³, the features get moved to other platforms. He says it's the same for books.

SARGENT: It is the first eight to 12 weeks for most bestsellers that the biggest volume comes. It's not across all books, but the vast majority of bestsellers, the biggest volume is in those first weeks. It's a crucial time for sales. And that's where a lot of the volume in bookstores - that's when they sell the majority of their books.

SARI FELDMAN: One copy does not satisfy readership if it's a bestseller, a popular book, an important book.

NEARY: Sari Feldman is a senior policy adviser⁴ and past president of the American Library Association or ALA. She says one copy lets readers know a book is available...

FELDMAN: But it would frustrate⁵ library users who would not have any real access to that book. In eight weeks, maybe two people would get to borrow it.

NEARY: The ALA spearheaded a campaign against the new restrictions⁶. It gathered more than 160,000 signatures on a petition which was presented to Macmillan's Sargent during a meeting earlier this week. Feldman says they asked him to suspend what she calls the embargo⁷ on e-book sales to libraries. He did not agree to do so. Feldman says Macmillan thinks that limiting the sale of e-books to libraries will drive people to buy retail⁸ copies of the book instead, but she points out...

FELDMAN: Libraries buy e-books, and I think that's really important. They're not given to us. We buy them. So we contribute to the e-book economy.

NEARY: Moreover, Feldman says, libraries pay more for e-books - as much as five times the retail price. And people who use libraries are unlikely to buy, rather than borrow a new book.

FELDMAN: Our population are primarily people who are on fixed⁹ incomes or limited incomes, have a relationship with the library where books are recommended to them, need the kind of access that libraries provide.

NEARY: For his part, Macmillan CEO John Sargent says he's open to continued discussions on a problem that needs to be addressed one way or another.

SARGENT: We would intend to talk to the libraries on an ongoing¹⁰ basis to try to get the best answer for the whole publishing ecosystem¹¹ - being the authors, publishers, retailers¹², readers and libraries.

NEARY: The next step for the ALA, says Sari Feldman, may be to seek a legislative¹³ remedy for recurring¹⁴ problems with publishers over pricing and access to digital books. She says the ALA will continue to raise its concerns in order to ensure that the public has the kind of access that is fundamental to America's public libraries.

Lynn Neary, NPR News, Washington.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 dwindle   

v.逐渐变小（或减少）

参考例句：

• The factory's workforce has dwindled from over 4,000 to a few hundred.工厂雇员总数已经从4,000多人减少到几百人。
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority.他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。

4 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

5 frustrate   

v.使失望；使沮丧；使厌烦

参考例句：

• But this didn't frustrate Einstein.He was content to go as far as he could.但这并没有使爱因斯坦灰心，他对能够更深入地研究而感到满意。
• They made their preparations to frustrate the conspiracy.他们作好准备挫败这个阴谋。

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

8 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

9 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

11 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

12 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

13 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

14 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。