The Impact of E-Readers and E-Books on the Library of Congress and the US Copyright Office

Abstract

Consumer acceptance of e-readers, tablets, and e-books has been covered extensively by the press. These trends have been a significant business opportunity for some authors, publishers, e-reader or tablet manufacturers, or distributors because a new market has emerged and ‘new’ readers have been attracted to the portability and the price of e-readers and e-books. But there is a ‘dark side of the moon.’ E-readers and e-books have emerged as ‘disruptive technologies,’ resulting in a reduction in the number of book outlets and printed books sold in the United States. In this research paper, we investigate the current and potential impact of e-books on the Library of Congress and the US Copyright Office, including the budgets, staffing, and operations of the Library of Congress and the US Copyright Office, and the need to digitize the vast book collection of the Library of Congress. This paper presents a series of recommendations for both the Library of Congress and the US Copyright Office.