Statement in Support of Fair eBook Licensing Practices

Statement in Support of New Jersey Senate Bill 1674 and Assembly Bill 4956, Ensuring Fair Practices for Libraries in the Purchase and Licensing of Electronic Literary Materials 

The Maplewood Memorial Library connects people to information, ideas, culture – and each other. We are open for all. We provide equitable access to collections of items, across multiple formats and platforms, including ebooks and e-audiobooks. We strive to meet patron demand for all materials, but more and more, we are hampered by the cost of e-materials. While digital materials are not physically borrowed, they are equally important in fulfilling our mission.

The pricing of e-materials is largely determined by publishers, who charge libraries three to five times more than they charge customers for purchasing the exact same items. The publishers further require that libraries license materials – not purchase them, using models which reduce patron access and go against the very nature of shared resources inherent to library services. These practices are not sustainable for public libraries. They divert taxpayer dollars from other services and undermine our ability to fulfill our mission and our responsibility to our community. 

The Maplewood Memorial Library Board of Trustees fully supports New Jersey Senate Bill 1674, introduced by Senator Andrew Zwicker, and New Jersey Assembly Bill 4956, introduced by Representative Lisa Swain, which seeks to prohibit publishers from charging libraries more than they charge consumers for the same items. This bill upholds library principles of equitable access and resource sharing and aligns with legislation already enacted or introduced in Connecticut and Illinois. We acknowledge and amplify the leadership of the Westfield Memorial Library in its resolute support of this legislation, and we call on the residents of Maplewood and all of New Jersey to stand with us. Communities thrive when public libraries are treated fairly and public dollars are spent responsibly.

Maplewood Memorial Library Board of Trustees

October 21, 2026