Pierce County Library System
Information & Imagination

Books/Materials

Downloadable Books and Music

Get started now with: TumbleBookLibrary.

• Check out TumbleBookLibrary, an online collection of TumbleBooks – animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love. 
• TumbleBooks are created by adding animation, sound, music, and narration to existing picture books in order to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you.
• Download a TumbleBookLibrary Bookmark.

Other e-book resources

Free on the Internet - Resources for classics and out-of-copyright books with audio recordings. Library card not required.

• Free e-book resources

Other Audiobook Resources

Free on the Internet - Resources for classics and out-of-copyright books with audio recordings. Library card not required.

• Books Should Be Free
• Internet Audio Archive
• Open Culture

The major publishers are not selling to libraries—including Pierce County Library—or they are selling e-books at inflated prices or with heavy restrictions.

Pierce County Library is confused and frustrated by publishers’ unwillingness to allow libraries to participate in the e-book marketplace. Publishers have not provided a clear answer to their blockade of libraries or holding them hostage to outrageously exorbitant prices 100-300% higher than list prices or burdensome restrictions.

Pierce County Library has joined with nearly 200 library systems from the United States and Canada to demand greatly improved e-book services for the public. The libraries signed a joint statement, the ReadersFirst Initiative, calling for e-book providers to make it easier for you to download e-books and lift burdensome restrictions on what libraries can buy and offer to you.  

Thank you for helping!

Results of campaign so far:

• 10,400 postcards picked up from libraries.
• 1,700 postcards sent to each of the six publishers.
• 713 emails sent from 256 unique email addresses.
• Public became informed and engaged.
• Publishers sell to libraries at fair-market and trade prices: Since the launch of the 2012/13 Scrooge campaign, Macmillan and Penguin have changed their policies and will now sell e-books to libraries. Penguin announced it plans to sell to libraries in spring 2013 with limited checkouts per e-book and a six-month delay on buying some new books. Macmillan announced it will offer libraries more than 1,200 backlist (not new) e- books, for use of up to two years or 52 checkouts, whichever comes first, at the price of $25 each e-book.

You can continue to help! 

Would you like to find more choices and easier downloading of free e-books at Pierce County Library? Please use the following template to send an email message to publishers and ask them to sell e-books to libraries.

• Send to each of these publishers listed below in the template as separate emails or copy and paste all addresses to the bcc line.
• Cc Pierce County Library System at ebook@piercecountylibrary.org.
• Copy and paste the subject line into your email message.
• Copy the full message below into your email message and modify as you would like.

Thank you! 

E-mail message for publishers not selling to libraries 

Please send this email to publishers who are not selling to libraries:

TO: customer.service@hbgusa.com -- Hachette Book Group

www.simonandschuster.com/about/contact_us – Simon & Schuster – This is actually an online form where you can copy, paste, and submit the message below.

Cc: ebook@piercecountylibrary.org

FROM: This will come from your email address

SUBJECT: Sell E-books to Libraries

MESSAGE:

Please sell e-books to libraries, especially Pierce County Library System. I have long supported publishers with my purchase of and checkout of books. I want to continue to support you with checking out e-books from libraries.

Thank you for your continued support of libraries being the backbone of democracy. They are the true equalizer, welcoming all. Libraries represent some of the core values of this country—the freedom to read, the freedom to learn, and universal access to books. How does it make sense to withhold e-books from people who depend on libraries?

Thank you for your expedient attention to this important matter.

Download PDF of message 

E-mail message for publishers selling at excessive prices or restrictive requirements 

Please send this email to publishers who are selling e-books at excessive prices or restrictive requirements to libraries.

TO: spsales@harpercollins.com – HarperCollins Publisher

customerservice@mpsvirginia.com – Macmillan Publishing

librariansden@us.penguingroup.com – Penguin Group

library@randomhouse.com – Random House, Inc.

Cc: ebook@piercecountylibrary.org

FROM: This will come from your email address

SUBJECT: Stop Over-Charging and Restricting E-books in Libraries

MESSAGE:

Please stop selling e-books to libraries, especially Pierce County Library System, at over-priced rates. Charge the 122,000 libraries and 169 million public library customers at the same rate you sell to online bookstores. It is outrageous that you are charging inflated prices averaging 100-300% higher than list prices. Also, restrictions on the number of times we can check out an e-book should not be set by publishers. You don’t restrict the number of times print books can be checked out.

I have long supported publishers with my purchase of and checkout of books. I want to continue to support you with checking out e-books from libraries.

Thank you for your continued support of libraries being the backbone of democracy. They are the true equalizer, welcoming all. Libraries represent some of the core values of this country—the freedom to read, the freedom to learn, and universal access to books. How does it make sense to hold libraries hostage with bloated prices and keep e-books from people who depend on libraries?

Thank you for your expedient attention to this important matter.

Download PDF of message