(27 Jun 2022) EBLIDA (The European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations) is laying the foundation for “sustainable copyright” in public libraries through the publication of the “First European overview on e-lending in public libraries”.
Carried out by the EBLIDA EGIL (Expert Group on Information Law) Group, the overview is based on a questionnaire transmitted to a network of experts including both EGIL members and experts suggested by NAPLE and the EBLIDA Executive Committee.
The geographic scope of the study is restricted to nine countries. These countries were selected in accordance with several criteria: a prosperous book and e-book trade (Germany, France, Spain, Italy), a limited book trade with high level of digital literacy (e.g. Nordic countries), and countries where an e-book trade has never really taken off (Romania or Greece).
“With this Overview EBLIDA intends to pursue the objective of examining the independence of the e-book library trade and library acquisitions on national economic factors, legal constraints and institutional requirements”, says Ton van Vlimmeren, EBLIDA President.
This is only the first step in a series of more extensive activity on e-lending which “will have a follow up in-length, in width, and in-depth”, adds Giuseppe Vitiello, EBLIDA Director. In the near future, EBLIDA intends to enlarge the Overview to more countries (in-length), examine particular aspects of e-lending models and business models (in-width); and find the appropriate arguments to advocate for libraries at European level (in depth).
The report can be downloaded here.
The press release is here.
