For many years now, residents of Massachusetts have been able to access audiobooks, ebooks and e-versions of their favorite magazines through various library networks. The demand for econtent continues to grow and surged after libraries closed their doors in 2020 as COVID-19 led to shutdowns of many public spaces across the country.
At its October board meeting, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) approved $500,000 in grants to support 9 major library networks across the state. The money will be used to purchase eContent for the Library eBook and Audiobook (LEA) program.
LEA gives Massachusetts residents access to eBooks, audiobooks, and other digital content from 377 participating libraries across the Commonwealth. This statewide system allows eContent to be shared in a similar way to physical materials, opening up access that was previously unavailable for eBooks and audiobooks.
The state-funded grants directly support the growing demand for ebooks and audiobooks across the Commonwealth, including during the pandemic when checkouts through LEA jumped 40%.
In a recent patron survey, when asked which library services most interested them (they could choose more than one), users ranked borrowing eContent (55%) and borrowing print books (56%) essentially equal as the top library service. Since 2018, to keep pace with demand, networks have more than doubled their spending on eContent that can be shared across the state.
In addition to the eContent grants, Commissioners also approved $94,000 in LEA Platform grants which offset the fee networks pay to use OverDrive, the software and app that delivers the eContent for LEA. This is the third year that the content grants have been made available. Grant awards are listed below.
| Network | Municipality | Award (Content) | Award (Platform) |
| CLAMS | Barnstable | $41,323,28 | $12,000 |
| CW MARS | Worcester | $72,929.91 | $12,000 |
| MBLN | Boston | $119,980.80 | $10,000 |
| Minuteman Library Network | Natick | $98,970.52 | $12,000 |
| MVLC | North Andover | $31,534.10 | $12,000 |
| NOBLE | Danvers | $33,186.12 | $12,000 |
| OCLN | Braintree | $53,202.20 | $12,000 |
| SAILS | Lakeville | $48,873.07 | $12,000 |
| $500,000 | $94,000 |
The MBLC, Massachusetts Library System, automated networks and local libraries have been working to increase residents’ access to eBooks for nearly a decade. However, eBook and audiobook access through public libraries is often constrained by publisher restrictions, such as pricing, how many copies libraries can get, and how long libraries have to wait after the book is released to the general public.
Some titles are not available to libraries at all. In an effort to ensure public access to eContent, Massachusetts Representative Balser has filed HD4418, An Act modernizing library access to electronic books and digital audiobooks.
Funding for the LEA Content Grant is possible through the MBLC’s Library Technology and Resource Sharing budget line, line 7000-9506, and is one of several grants available to automated sharing networks through this line. LEA Platform grants are made possible by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.