Proposal Urges MacKenzie Scott to Fund a Universal E-Book Library and Acquire Libby
A proposal suggests that philanthropist MacKenzie Scott should invest in creating a universal e-book library by acquiring OverDrive and its popular library app, Libby. The author argues that despite the proliferation of online media, e-books remain largely unsharable and undiscoverable, often locked behind paywalls or long waitlists. The vision for this new library includes features like author notifications, social sharing of reading progress and reviews, and instant access to books without wait times. The current e-book landscape is characterized by Amazon's dominance, with many e-books not making it to libraries, and existing library apps like Libby, while widely used, lacking social features and direct author upload capabilities. The proposal highlights that Amazon's publishing company licenses e-books to libraries primarily through the Digital Public Library of America’s Palace app, which is used by a small fraction of libraries compared to Libby.
