The vulture capitalist hedge fund that bought and subsequently destroyed Toys R Us now owns Overdrive/Libby.
They have already begun making it worse/less usable and they have a chokepoint monopoly on the delivery method of ebooks borrowed from public libraries in the US.
A fun thing about capitalism is that rich people can buy something a lot of people love and depend on, and then destroy it for fun and profit, and there’s not really anything we can do about it.
And now they’re in closing negotiations to buy Simon and Schuster. I’m sure this will have no negative consequences for books at all.
as of 8/7, the simon and schuster deal appears to have gone through: https://www.npr.org/2023/08/07/1192539219/simon-schuster-sold
i mean we didn't want penguin random house to get s&s right?
right????
sob
also sharing @wizardysseus's tags because, you know, people in the field:
#libraries#what's interesting as a librarian is that i've seen a lot of people celebrate libby as if using it is the same as using the public library#i use the service myself and when it's been good it's been good - i encourage people to read in any way they find accessible to them#but it is in fact run by a privately owned company#so while it is a small thing: it is ALWAYS better to give your recommendations to a librarian or contact the library directly#than to rely on a third party#i will also say that ebook licensing for public libraries is already wildly expensive. there are many dead canaries in this coal mine#we will continue to do our best but like. vote and protest and agitate with your libraries in mind. please
I have heard LOTS of librarians complain about the ebook licensing issues
also while we're here friendly reminder to check out what services your library subscribes to (mine for instance has both hoopla and kanopy, for instance) and to use them instead of, say, Audible, which is also owned by a private company
and don't forget our dear friends over at Librivox!
I am only thirty-one years old, he thought fiercely, angrily. Today is my birthday. “Wait… wait… wait… wait.” Each syllable was weaker than the last.
- The Terror: A Novel, Ch 56, Jopson
Jopson Ep 1 and Ep 10
Here’s a video so you can hear the water and the thrushes. I took it for you because you couldn’t be there. <3
This is the Good Luck Demerzel. Reblog and you will be able to justify all of your future actions using the Zeroth Law
