ILLINOIS (WCIA) — As e-book prices soar throughout Illinois, some state legislators are taking steps to shield libraries from restrictive practices imposed by publishers.
The proposed legislation, House Bill 5236, also known as the Digital Protection Act, aims to prevent e-book and audiobook publishers from constraining libraries’ control over loan periods. Additionally, the bill seeks to ensure that retailers do not charge libraries more than they do the general public for identical items, and it would prohibit restrictions on the number of e-book software licenses a library can acquire.