Harpercollins to U-turn on self destructing eBooks.

Harper Collins may be set to rethink their policy in which their eBooks sold to libraries self destruct after 26 loans. The campaign against the publishers is growing and now Canada have got in on the act with libraries in Halifax becoming the first in the country to boycott the publisher.

Debbie LeBel, the manager of acquisitions for Halifax Public Libraries says she is not buying new e-book licenses from HarperCollins even though demand for eBooks has grown steadily in recent years and HarperCollins titles account for about one in every five e-books in the collection of more than 6,000."

Whilst Harpercollins have a point - eBooks, being digital files can last forever, but saying that libraries have to acquire a new licence after 26 hires is absurd - phyiscal books can be hired out much more than that before falling apart. It is expected that the publisher will suggest a much more logical annual licence.