The library helps digitise a portion of the publishers back catalogue and, in return, is guaranteed access to all frontlist titles.
No, this is not a made-up concept. It's a real pilot among the Stockholm Public Library, the Swedish publisher Ordfront, and the Swedish vendor Publit. How did I learn about it? Why, in an essay by Publit CTO Hannes Eder describing why library ebook lending is so different overseas.
A few oversimplifications about libraries' relationship to books and one glaring factual error aside (three of the U.S. Big Five publishers license libraries access to their entire catalogs), it's a solid overview of library ebook lending in the States and Europe generally and of Sweden specifically.
Another case in point: Atingo, a new technology backed by Publit, allows librarians and publishers to negotiate how much an ebook costs and when and if it should become available in the library.
As Liz Burns pointed out to me on Twitter, Public Lending Right (aka PLR, which ensure that authors are paid per circ; FAQ here) is rarely brought up when it comes to America adopting anything beyond one book, one user.
Much, much to consider. *cut to head exploding*
