CT HB06958

Effective July 1, 2026, Connecticut libraries cannot enter into e-book or digital audiobook license agreements with publishers that restrict customary lending functions, including prohibitions on interlibrary loans or limits on simultaneous loan count and loan period restrictions

Publishers cannot limit the number of e-book licenses a library may purchase on the same date materials become available to the public, nor prohibit libraries from making nonpublic preservation copies

License agreements cannot prevent libraries from sharing contract terms with other Connecticut libraries or require disputes to be resolved outside of judicial forums

Publishers must offer libraries commercially reasonable alternatives including pay-per-use models or perpetual public use options if restricting contract duration

Libraries may still agree to provisions limiting simultaneous borrower access and requiring technological protection measures to prevent borrowers from retaining access beyond loan periods