Keeping up with the demand for books
Seattle is consistently rated one of the most literate cities in America for our patronage of libraries, bookstores, and author events. The Seattle Public Library ranks eighth in the world for digital checkouts while our neighbors at King County Library System rank third, thanks in part to the many local readers who patronize both systems. Donors to the Foundation enhance the library with more than 100,000 new books each year to build our library’s deep and diverse collection. And we’re proud to offer e-books to any young reader in the nation through the Books Unbanned program.
But what happens when cost and demand rise, but budgets do not?
That is the question facing public libraries around the country—and an urgent one for The Seattle Public Library and the Foundation.
Shifting preferences
The COVID-19 pandemic changed how people read. With physical libraries and materials harder to access, many patrons turned for the first time to checking out digital books on their e-reader devices.
That trend appears to be permanent. Digital book checkouts skyrocketed in 2020 and have only increased since, even as physical book checkouts has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
This is great news. Digital books are more accessible for many readers. The trends for reading in all forms are all growing. SPL set an all-time record with 6 million physical checkouts in 2023, even as 7.4 million e-books and e-audiobooks were borrowed.
Growing costs stretch budgets
However, as interest in digital books has grown, so have their costs. Digital checkouts more than tripled between 2015 and 2023, while the library saw costs rise by 166 percent. This is due not just to the increase in digital readers, but also to the pricing models that major publishers apply to libraries.
Libraries are often charged three to five times as much, or more, for a digital book than for its print equivalent. Libraries also pay a significantly higher markup than an individual e-book consumer sees, due to subscription models imposed by publishers.
For example, in 2023 one particular book, Britney Spears’ popular memoir “The Woman in Me,” cost SPL about $18 per physical copy. Consumers were charged that same amount for digital versions. But the library had to pay $64.99 per e-book license. As a result, SPL spent $35,000 on digital copies and just $2,500 on physical versions.
Unfortunately, the collections budget has stayed relatively flat despite these strains. The Foundation has been able to increase its giving to the library since 2015, but not by enough to keep up. There is no reliable, dedicated source of public funding for library collections. In fact, the City of Seattle’s 2025-2026 budget includes a small cut to the library that will primarily impact collections.
Advocating for collections support
As e-book costs become a major issue for public libraries, several states have attempted to address exorbitant pricing from publishers. Washington State may be next. State legislators, including Seattle-area representatives Julia Reed and Kristine Reeves, are exploring policies to help keep library collections affordable.
In the 2025 session, state legislators will explore a study about how publishers charge for digital books and recommend policy solutions. One possibility is allowing libraries to purchase a digital copy of a book in perpetuity. Right now, libraries must purchase licenses for e-books, which then expire. This means libraries don’t truly own the books on their digital shelves—and if licenses aren’t renewed or publication ceases, books can disappear.
Another potential solution is to create a dedicated state funding source for digital books that would address uncertainty in local budgets like Seattle’s and supplement private support. This would be especially important for libraries in small and rural communities where high costs and low resources have made providing a robust digital collection difficult.
Committed to expanding access
Being able to read what you want and how you want is a fundamental library value. The Foundation remains committed to supporting more access to books for everyone in every format. This includes expanded funding next year for the Books Unbanned initiative, which opens the library’s entire digital collection to young people nationwide, and more support for all of SPL’s collections.
“Despite increasing costs, the model of sharing an e-book through the library is still more equitable and a better value than every person buying their own copy,” said Foundation CEO Brian Lawrence. “We celebrate the fact that more people in our community are checking out more books. We want to do whatever we can to ensure that everyone has access to knowledge, information, and joy from reading.”
Join the movement to provide digital books for all! Your gift to the Foundation helps keep up with rising costs and expand access to digital books for everyone, including through the Books Unbanned initiative for readers nationwide. Give today!
We need your voice as we advocate for better e-book policies! Sign up for action alerts to contact your local elected officials, including legislators during the 2025 session.