KCLS boycotts Macmillan Publishers’ eBook embargo

Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.

Effective November 1, 2019, the King County Library System (KCLS) will no longer purchase newly released eBooks from Macmillan Publishers, one of five major publishers in the U.S. This decision comes after months of discussion and advocacy to urge Macmillan to reconsider instituting a new library eBook embargo, set to go into effect on November 1. Under Macmillan’s new lending model, public libraries of any size will only be allowed to purchase one copy of a newly released eBook for the first eight weeks after publication.

As a large library system, KCLS maintains a “Holds to Copy” ratio of 5-to-1 to minimize wait times for popular titles. This means that for every five holds on a title, KCLS purchases one copy to ensure a maximum wait time of only three months. If KCLS is limited to one digital copy of each new title, and then has to wait eight weeks before being able to purchase more, patrons could conceivably wait years rather than months for their eBook.

“Digital equity and access to information is at stake,” states KCLS Executive Director Lisa Rosenblum. “KCLS’ central mission is to provide free and equal access to information, and libraries must be able to perform this essential role in the digital realm as well. We do not want other publishers to follow the example of Macmillan and embargo books. To do so profoundly changes the public library.”

For KCLS, a library system with 50 libraries, serving more than one million residents, the new embargo hits King County patrons particularly hard. KCLS has been the top digital-circulating library in the U.S. for the last five years and third worldwide. According to Rakuten OverDrive, KCLS patrons downloaded nearly five million eBooks and audiobooks last year.

To continue to ensure reasonable wait times for newly released electronic titles, KCLS will divert its eBook funds to publishers who are willing to sell to libraries without a purchasing embargo. They will, however, continue to purchase Macmillan titles that are not embargoed, including print materials and older copies of best-selling eBooks.

The American Library Association (ALA) has also denounced Macmillan’s decision, and asks that the public express their concerns to press.inquiries@macmillan.com, or ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office at alawash@alawash.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • There are several ways to send a document to a printer at the library.

    Mobile Phone or Tablet

    Personal Computer

    Email

    Public Computer

    Tips for Printing

    Mobile Phone or Tablet

    Print from your phone or tablet without the app.

    1. Go to our Print from Your Own Device page and choose your print location.
      Or, open       print.princh.com in your browser.
      Or, scan the QR code located near the printer.
    2. Enter the printer ID located near the printer. (You can skip this step if you scanned the QR code or went to our Print from Your Own Device page.) 
    3. Upload your documents. 
    4. Choose your print settings. 
    5. Log in at the print release station with your library card. Use your print allowance. Or pay with your preferred payment method. 
    6. Take your print job from the printer. 

    Watch a video guide to printing on a phone or tablet without the app. 

    Follow our tips for printing.

    Print from your phone or tablet with the app.

    iOS 

    1. Install the Princh app for iOS.
    2. Open the document, click Share and then select the Print option.
    3. Pinch out on your document and click Share.
    4. Find the Princh app and select it.
    5. Enter the printer ID or scan a QR code (located near the printer).
    6. Choose your print settings.
    7. Use your print allowance. Or pay with your preferred payment method.
    8. Take your print job from the printer.

    Watch a video guide to printing in the iOS app.

    Follow our tips for printing.

    Android 

    1. Install the Princh app for Android.
    2. Open the document, click the three dots and then press Print.
    3. Select a printer and press Print.
    4. Enter the printer ID or scan a QR code (located near the printer).
    5. Choose your print settings.
    6. Use your print allowance. Or pay with your preferred payment method.
    7. Take your print job from the printer.

    Watch a video guide to printing in the Android app.

    Follow our tips for printing.

    Personal Computer

    Print from a personal laptop or computer. 

    1. Go to our Print from Your Own Device page and choose your print location.
      Or, open       print.princh.com in your browser.
    2. Enter the printer ID located near the printer. (You can skip this step if you went to our Print from Your Own Device page.)
    3. Upload your documents.
    4. Choose your print settings.
    5. Log in at the print release station with your library card. Use your print allowance. Or pay with your preferred payment method.
    6. Take your print job from the printer.

    Watch a video guide to printing on a laptop. 

    Follow our tips for printing.

    Email

    Print from email on any device.

    1. Find the email address for the black and white or color printer at your library on this list. You will need to specify the name of the library and color option (color or black and white) in the address.
    2. Send your document to the printer's address.
    3. Log in at the print release station with your library card or the email address you used to send the request. Use your print allowance. Or pay with your preferred payment method.
    4. Take your print job from the printer.

    Documents sent to the printer by email are letter size and single-sided by default.

    Public Computer

    Print from a public computer.

    1. Open the document and press Print.
    2. Select a printer and press Print again.
    3. Choose your print settings.
    4. Log in at the print release station with your library card. Use your print allowance. Or pay with your preferred payment method.
    5. Take your print job from the printer.

    Watch a video guide to printing on a public computer.

    Follow our tips for printing.

    Tips for Printing

    Before you send any print request, use the print preview option in Princh or on your device. Check the number of pages.

    You can print up to $1.50 each week for free with your library card's weekly print allowance. That gives you up to 10 black and white or 3 color pages each week.

    You have the option to pay for more prints.

    If you're not at a library, make sure that the location you're sending the print request to is open for visits.

    The printer code is the same for all of the printers at your library.

    The printer email address is unique to the black and white or color printer at your library.

    Double-sided printing is not available in Princh. (The option to choose a paper size other than letter will be grayed out in the print settings menu.)

  • DIA celebra la literatura infantil, las familias, la lectura y la diversidad multicultural. 

    El Día del niño y del libro (también conocido como DÍA o Diversidad en acción) comenzó hace 28 años. Pat Mora, escritora mexicano-estadounidense introdujo esta celebración en los Estados Unidos en 1996. El Día del niño y del libro enfatiza la importancia de leer en el / los idiomas de la familia y preservar la/s cultura/s de origen a través de los libros. 

    ¡Gracias a nuestros socios! 

  • The reading challenge is part of our yearlong Celebrate the Freedom to Read campaign. Celebrate our freedom by collectively reading or listening to 1 million minutes. 

  • Book Group Kits are bags containing 10 copies of the same book that you can check out and use for your book clubs or other groups.

    1. Follow the link for Rosetta Stone on our Databases page in a browser. Enter your library card number and password.
    2. Select Rosetta Stone Library Solution from the list.
    3. Create an account with your email address and a password. Select a language to learn. You can only learn one language with the Rosetta Stone.
    4. On your mobile device, download the Rosetta Stone app from your provider’s store. You can follow the link in the “View available apps” section on our Databases
    5. Open the app and select “Log In” underneath the blue “Get Started” button.
    6. Select “Work or School” for the account type.
    7. Enter the email address you used to create your Rosetta Stone account for the user name. Enter the password you created. On Android devices, choose Next.
    8. Enter the Workspace ID on Apple devices and when prompted for Android device. The workspace ID is s9225476.
    9. Choose Sign In for iOS or Next for Android.
    10. Start learning!
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