Prompt Cast
"E-Book Lending Battles in Modern Libraries with Michael Blackwell"
Generated on March 23, 2026
TLDR Kathy Giorgio and librarian Michael Blackwell discuss the impact of digital lending on royalty income and copyright law constraints as they protest publisher restrictions in October 2019, with continued advocacy despite legal challenges.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Kathy Giorgio notices a decrease in her royalties due to more library patrons borrowing ebooks instead of physical copies.
03:22
Librarian Michael Blackwell discusses his surprising and lawful role facilitating the lending of copyrighted materials through a library.
06:58
Michael Blackwell navigates copyright laws and publisher agreements that resemble traditional physical lending restrictions for digital e-books.
10:33
Librarian Michael Blackwell confronts publisher practices that restrict e-book lending and impose costly and arbitrary limits, prompting a protest against McMillan's embargo policy.
14:05
Librarian Michael Blackwell protests publisher John Sargent's restrictive ebook policies at McMillan in October 2019.
17:43
Librarian Michael Blackwell protests against policies allowing unrestricted borrowing of digital books from McMillan, fearing publisher profits and jobs.
21:04
Librarian Michael Blackwell protests against digital book price increases due to new borrowing policies and becomes an e-book access advocate.
24:35
Librarian Michael Blackwell, amidst a year of legal battles over e-book price increases due to new borrowing policies, remains an advocate pushing for laws that support library access.
