ALA persists with #eBooksForAll advocacy campaign: “Macmillan must lift the embargo”

PHILADELPHIA – ALA President Wanda Brown issued the following statement in response to Macmillan CEO John Sargent’s “Ask Me Anything” session at the ALA Midwinter Meetings on Saturday, January 25, 2020: 

“Today, Mr. Sargent invited conference attendees to ask him anything. He talked, and stakeholders from the library community asked questions and engaged. Unfortunately, he has not been listening to us.  

“ALA’s message – and that of the nearly 250,000 people who signed the #eBooksForAll petition – is the same now as it has been since July 25, 2019: Delaying, denying, or limiting access to new titles for libraries means limiting access for readers. 

“We see only one acceptable outcome for this situation: Macmillan must lift the embargo. 

“Each of Macmillan’s library customers must decide for themselves how to respond to the publisher’s policies. But let’s be clear: ALA remains committed to restoring access to #eBooksForAll. 

“Moving ahead, ALA will continue to lead and collaborate with other groups on communications and advocacy about access, digital resources, and literacy. We will also continue to cooperate with the congressional investigation into the antitrust behavior of publishing giants like Macmillan and Amazon. We encourage ALA members to tell their lawmakers how unfair market practices harm their communities and undermine information access for all.”