I think the poke they took at 'librarian lobbyists" was primarily meant to mean American Library Association, but I wear the insult proudly. I responded thusly at the time via ReadersFirst:
The article mentions AAP opposition to the Maryland law: “we question the strategy of library lobbyists, who are sophisticated actors in Washington, in pushing unconstitutional legislation and a storyline that is at odds with both the operation of the law and market facts.” I call BS. Not being an attorney, I won’t comment on the legal aspects, though one can find the AAP statements refuted here. But market facts? That publishers can and often do charge on average many times higher for digital than for print is certainly a market fact. Libraries can pay, indeed must pay if we want access, but that doesn’t make the prices fair. And “sophisticated actors in Washington”—that’s especially rich coming from a Washington lobbying firm. This assertion is untrue. The MLA statement was written and edited by Maryland librarians. It was approved by the MLA. It is a librarian initiative. We’re not sophisticated actors in Washington. We’re librarians, and proud of it. Maybe its easier to attack make-believe Washington actors, but AAP, address your concerns where they belong. Frankly, though, [none of] the AAP’s statements have [any] more validity than this utter falsehood.
I'm one of the librarians who helped promote this bill. The AAP, lickspittle lackeys working to ensure that multinational conglomerates who own the publishers continue to treat our tax dollars as their private teat, completely misrepresent this law. Not that's this is a surprise. Funny how we in libraries are forced to put up with unreasonable and expensive licenses and then, when patience is exhausted and content is withheld, get told that copyright precludes better licenses.
You LIE, AAP.
The terms are not "mandated by the state."
Libraries have ZERO control in digital content, in spite of your false claim of our "unprecedented control over basic copyright transaction."
That control isn't even challenged under the law, the publishers would maintain full control. The law doesn't mandate terms. We hoped to get better deals, but any publishers could simply say "we are reasonable" and our only recourse would be a lawsuit nobody wants.
Can you say "greed"?
I thought you could.
In libraries, we'll continue to talk with the publishers. But if Maryland's law goes down, it will be good reason at long last for federal action
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Re: Re: But greed is good
@ Anonymous Coward
I think the poke they took at 'librarian lobbyists" was primarily meant to mean American Library Association, but I wear the insult proudly. I responded thusly at the time via ReadersFirst:
The article mentions AAP opposition to the Maryland law: “we question the strategy of library lobbyists, who are sophisticated actors in Washington, in pushing unconstitutional legislation and a storyline that is at odds with both the operation of the law and market facts.” I call BS. Not being an attorney, I won’t comment on the legal aspects, though one can find the AAP statements refuted here. But market facts? That publishers can and often do charge on average many times higher for digital than for print is certainly a market fact. Libraries can pay, indeed must pay if we want access, but that doesn’t make the prices fair. And “sophisticated actors in Washington”—that’s especially rich coming from a Washington lobbying firm. This assertion is untrue. The MLA statement was written and edited by Maryland librarians. It was approved by the MLA. It is a librarian initiative. We’re not sophisticated actors in Washington. We’re librarians, and proud of it. Maybe its easier to attack make-believe Washington actors, but AAP, address your concerns where they belong. Frankly, though, [none of] the AAP’s statements have [any] more validity than this utter falsehood.
But greed is good
I'm one of the librarians who helped promote this bill. The AAP, lickspittle lackeys working to ensure that multinational conglomerates who own the publishers continue to treat our tax dollars as their private teat, completely misrepresent this law. Not that's this is a surprise. Funny how we in libraries are forced to put up with unreasonable and expensive licenses and then, when patience is exhausted and content is withheld, get told that copyright precludes better licenses.
You LIE, AAP.
The terms are not "mandated by the state."
Libraries have ZERO control in digital content, in spite of your false claim of our "unprecedented control over basic copyright transaction."
That control isn't even challenged under the law, the publishers would maintain full control. The law doesn't mandate terms. We hoped to get better deals, but any publishers could simply say "we are reasonable" and our only recourse would be a lawsuit nobody wants.
Can you say "greed"?
I thought you could.
In libraries, we'll continue to talk with the publishers. But if Maryland's law goes down, it will be good reason at long last for federal action
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by LibrarianB.
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