Peter Brantley discusses the wild and chaotic publishing environment of today, and why actions of publishers are rational, even as they threaten to destroy traditional models of library book lending.

As publishers try to make strategic decisions in a maelstrom of change, historical relationships, such as those involving libraries, are trammeled by strategic re-prioritizations. Publishers fear the simultaneous commodification of complex authoring tools, the rise of self publishing systems, and the development of internet platforms by Apple, Amazon, and Google. And, in response, publishers attempt to seize control over pricing and distribution in as many digital sectors as possible. It's as if Toyota suddenly had to respond to home-3D printed family aerocars as a mainstream transportation.

Peter Brantley is the Director of the Bookserver Project at the Internet Archive, a San Francisco-based not-for-profit library, and is a Co-Founder of the Open Book Alliance.