Readers who prefer e-books from Kansas libraries might be out of luck for a few weeks.

A contract dispute between the state library and its provider of e-books is likely to cause public libraries to stop checking out e-books until a new contract is in place.

The Wichita Eagle reports the state’s provider of e-books, Overdrive, is proposing a 700% price increase over three years. It also wants the state to relinquish ownership of the e-books it bought for statewide use.

The state interprets the current contract to mean it owns the e-books, rather than having the right only to loan them to library users.

The state’s e-books contract with Overdrive ends Dec. 5. Its new contract with 3M will start in the first quarter of 2012.