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The more I read about #ebooksos, while there certainly seems to be a healthy dose of cynicism and opportunism in some publisher pricing decisions, they also seem to reflect a lack of a clear strategy when it comes to ebook pricing, distribution & marketing. (1/)
Ofc this isn't the case for all - some are behaving reasonably & some are strategically driving libraries to use platforms for access, somewhat akin to the bundling strategy used in journals - but some of the ad hoc price rises & weak justifications smack of a lack of a plan (2/)
See also: complaints by librarians about the patchy provision of ebook content & the lack of basic accessibility features in many cases. In 2021(!) is it the case that some publishers don't have a fully developed strategy for ebooks? As tho we'll all be using print forever? (3/)
Of course if this is the case, the problems the librarians are dealing with remain the same, the students lack adequate resources & budgets are getting squeezed. But I wonder whether a lack of engagement with ebooks by publishers is as much of an issue as opportunism. (4/end)
