Digital Public Library of America and Independent Publishers Group have partnered to rewrite the future of providing ebooks to benefit libraries, authors and readers alike

Chicago, August 13, 2024 – The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and Independent Publishers Group (IPG) have announced a groundbreaking agreement that will transform how American libraries provide access to books for millions of readers.

Through this landmark collaboration between IPG and DPLA, libraries around the country will now have the power to purchase and own in perpetuity, rather than merely license, tens of thousands of ebook and audiobook titles from dozens of independent publishers. The agreement will empower libraries to fulfill their mission to provide access to books for readers nationwide. Publishers such as Austin Macauley, Arcadia Publishing, Dynamite Entertainment, Dover Publications and JMS Books, alongside dozens of other renowned indie publishers, are participating in the deal.

Since the advent and spread of digital content, libraries have only been able to license ebooks and audiobooks from publishers and aggregators with no option to buy, trapping libraries in licensing agreements where they must spend more money for fewer books that they do not own. Instead of being spaces where readers can explore emerging authors or more uncommon works, libraries have been under pressure to focus on bestsellers and titles by big name authors that are in high demand. A growing number of library leaders recognized that having to rent ebooks and audiobooks prevented them from fulfilling their mission of collecting, preserving, and ensuring long-term access to books for all readers.

“Most readers don’t know that the thousands of libraries offering access to ebooks don’t actually own that digital content themselves, the way they do the physical books on their shelves. That can limit libraries’ ability to preserve content, update the formats when needed, share the content with other libraries and transfer the content when they change systems. Libraries, which are already tragically underfunded and under-resourced, often have to license the books from publishers, too often at a high price,” said DPLA Executive Director John S. Bracken. “This groundbreaking agreement with IPG begins to change these practices. We’re hopeful that more publishers will join us to make their books more accessible to readers everywhere.”

Now, libraries will be able to purchase books through the Palace Marketplace, a non-profit ebook and audiobook platform developed by The Palace Project in consultation with libraries, for libraries. The Palace Project provides libraries with tools and resources that allows patrons to access the broadest possible range of ebooks and audiobooks sourced from the widest variety of sources. Among the tens of thousands of books that are now available for libraries to own and lend out digitally are contemporary award-winning titles, like Leticia Aguilar’s spellbinding memoir Leaving Patriarchy Behind, Michael Nicholson’s The Mosaic Escalator, a mind-bending adventure story nominated for the Best Fiction Book Award by the Golden Book Awards 2024, as well as classics like Elizabeth Bowen’s debut novel The Hotel.


“At IPG, we have always supported libraries and the crucial role they play in providing access, facilitating discovery, and preserving books for the long term,” said Joe Matthews, CEO of Independent Publishers Group. “We are proud to help our publishers offer libraries terms that promote these important roles by including the option for libraries to own digital copies of the books they purchase.”

“After more than 12 years explaining to policy makers and publishers why existing license models for ebooks prevent libraries from fulfilling their mandates, this agreement is a win that libraries, publishers and authors should celebrate together,” said Christina de Castell, Chief Librarian & CEO of the Vancouver Public Library. “Now, libraries will be able to take steps to share and preserve authors’ ebooks as we have always shared and preserved their print books. I hope this agreement is a model that leads other publishers towards more flexible licensing terms, so libraries can continue to be the home for our collective knowledge in our increasingly digital world.”

“Copyright’s ‘first sale doctrine’ is important to readers and libraries for a number of reasons, not least of which is the way that it facilitates long-term preservation and access,” noted Lyrasis CEO John Wilkin. “Licensing models have threatened this critical underpinning, which is needed for preservation of the cultural record. Lyrasis is excited to collaborate with DPLA and IPG in the creation of a model that will make preservation and access of digital content possible.”

To learn more, visit https://ebooks.dp.la/ownership.

About Independent Publishers Group (IPG):

Founded in 1971, IPG was the first organization specifically created for the purpose of marketing titles from independent presses to the book trade. Today, IPG’s wide reach into the book market includes distribution of both print and e-books from a wide array of publishers, digital printing and traditional publishing. With consistent growth year over year, IPG’s success has come from supporting and encouraging the growth of its publishing partners in the United States and worldwide. IPG was acquired by Chicago Review Press in 1987, and this acquisition formed the parent company Chicago Review Press, Inc., which now owns Chicago-based indie publishers Chicago Review Press and Triumph Books. In October 2021, IPG acquired UK-based United Independent Distributors (UID) and its subsidiary companies Eurospan, Marston Book Services and Orca Book Services, extending IPG’s menu of services and global reach.

About the Digital Public Library of America:

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) amplifies the value of libraries and cultural organizations as trusted sources of shared knowledge. Founded in 2010 and launched as an independent organization in 2013, DPLA continues to fulfill its mission by collaborating with partners to accelerate the adoption of innovative tools and ideas to empower and equip libraries to make public information more accessible. DPLA’s ebook work is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. To learn more, visit dp.la.

About The Palace Project:

The Palace Project was born of the belief that the public library is the digital center of knowledge and creativity for their community. A robust suite of content, services, and tools for the delivery of ebooks, audiobooks, and other digital media to benefit public libraries and their patrons, The Palace Project offers a seamless, easy-to-use system, including platform, content and mobile app, for libraries to engage directly with patrons and improve, enhance and expand the resources available to them. The Palace Project is supported by Lyrasis, in strategic partnership with the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). To learn more, visit thepalaceproject.org. 

About Lyrasis 

Lyrasis is a community-focused, mission-driven nonprofit that partners with archives, libraries, museums and research communities to ensure enduring access to our shared academic, scientific and cultural heritage. Home to The Palace Project, BiblioBoard, the Indie Author Project, DSpace, ArchivesSpace and other community-supported programs, Lyrasis offers technologies and services to help knowledge professionals and collections-holding organizations worldwide foster collaboration, solve problems and build solutions to benefit the wider community. To learn more, visit www.lyrasis.org