Merrimack Valley Library Consortium Announces MacMillan Boycott

BURLINGTON, MA — The Merrimack Valley Library Consortium is boycotting e-books from the major publisher MacMillan, as part of an ongoing fight over e-books between libraries and the company. The publisher announced a two month library embargo in November, limiting library systems to one digital copy of books for the first two months they are available. In the months since, over 70 library systems have announced boycotts of the company, with the Merrimack Valley Consortium one of the most recent to join.

In the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium's case, the MacMillan embargo would mean the entire system would have only one copy of new eBooks, according to the release.

The American Library Association, the Massachusetts Library Association are both participating in the boycott, according to a release by the Burlington Public Library. The Consortium has 36 libraries serving a population of 779,000, including Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill.

“When a publisher puts up barriers to access, we must seek other publishers whose materials are not similarly restricted,” said MVLC President Becky Herrmann in a statement. “In addition, as good fiscal stewards for our libraries, we feel it is fiscally irresponsible to continue to expend tax dollars on eBooks with a publisher that has intentionally put libraries at a disadvantage.”

The boycott only applies to new eBooks, not Macmillan products in other formats, such as print books, audio CDs, and digital audiobooks, which are not impacted by Macmillan’s embargo.

More information from the library on the boycott is available here. WGBH has moreon the origins of the battle, including MacMillan's decision to put in place the purchase limit. The full list of MVLC members is available here.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.