Controlling Library EBook Lending With DRM

Nobody will be surprised to hear that lending is the bread and butter of libraries. Fewer people, however, realise how essential lending that works is to a library's survival. Libraries pay agreed-upon copyright fees based on the number of people they expect to loan a particular work each year. To maintain the continued trust of publishers, they must make sure a book does not leak and make its way into unauthorized hands or is loaned longer than agreed upon.

As technology has evolved, however, it has become easier and easier for users to strip library ebooks of their protection and share them. While physical books still take significant effort and expense to copy, intuitive, freely available tools let users strip ebooks of some DRM protection in seconds.

This, unfortunately, puts many libraries in a tough place. With funding generally decreasing and the costs of storing and maintaining physical books ever-present, reducing costs by transitioning to a model that includes ebooks makes sense. However, this model starts to break down when, with minimal effort, users can share unlimited copies of publishers' material. Libraries need solutions that prevent this sharing while still allowing them to process and lend ebooks efficiently. Unfortunately, the leading ebook DRM solutions only fulfil the second part of that equation.

 

The problem with leading ebook DRM software

The most popular ebook DRM will be known entities in most libraries across the world: Amazon, Google, and Adobe. The reason they're so popular is simple: they provide excellent integration with their existing platforms, providing an intuitive experience for users and publishers.

Still, while the level of convenience that it provides is unparalleled, the level of protection is mediocre at best. With ebook library management app Calibre and its DeDRM plugin, users can import most DRM-protected ebooks and automatically strip the DRM when they send them to their personal device. This removes any defined loan period and allows them to share and keep the ebook infinitely.

 

The Calibre plugin can break DRM from:

• Adobe Digital Editions
• Barnes & Noble
• Kobo DRM

due to their imperfect implementation.  

Free tool Epubor can break even more DRM software.  It effectively removes DRM from all of the following ebook DRM systems:

• Adobe Digital Editions
• Barnes & Noble
• Kobo DRM
• Nook
• Google Play

Even Apple DRM can be removed with a tool called TunesKit.

All of this information is a Google search away, ensuring that library users who want to get rid of the DRM restrictions, will.

 

Alternatives to control ebooks

So, if the leading ebook solutions aren't effective, what is?  A minority of libraries are turning to HTML5 protection. This enables users to read their books online and have the browser enforce controls on the content. The downside, of course, is that the user must be online. For many libraries, this will limit knowledge too severely.

On top of this, as HTML5 protection only uses the browser to enforce controls, it's not able to enforce the same level of control.  In a browser environment, with no software installed on the client, it is impossible to stop users from printing to a PDF or taking high-quality automated screenshots with screen-grabbing software. In most cases, the book is also stored in a cache in the user's PC in plaintext for them to access as browsers work by caching content to disk.  Finally, these online systems usually make use of passwords for authentication, which can easily be shared or guessed.

 

What is the best way to protect ebooks for sharing?

A better solution for libraries and other organizations is an ebook DRM solution from a dedicated security provider. Unlike the other companies mentioned, their focus is specifically on creating software that stops digital content from being shared and pirated.

With a PDF DRM provider, for example, you can lock down ebooks published in PDF format and stop them from being copied and shared.  As well as doing away with passwords entirely, a strong ebook DRM solution will be incredibly hard to bypass and block screen grabbing, printing, and copy-pasting. It will also include tools to allow ebooks to be restricted to certain devices and locations while retaining offline viewing and the expiry and revocation tools libraries require.

You must still be careful, however, to choose a DRM solution that will represent a good value proposition. Solutions that charge for each ebook loaned are generally not going to be a good fit. Choosing instead a DRM solution that allows monthly, annual, or perpetual licenses offers a clear route to better protection without compromising a library's budget. By moving away from the bigger brands, libraries can expand and loan ebooks securely without worrying about publishers becoming unhappy.