Search the site:

Since 1992, the community Hub of Libraries in Europe!

Striving towards an equitable, democratic and sustainable society

The European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations is an independent umbrella association of library, information, documentation and archive associations and institutions in Europe.

The Right to E-Read

EBLIDA PRESS RELEASE. The Hague, 5th of June 2014. 

Download EBLIDA Press Release here

Today, EBLIDA officially releases its latest position paper “The Right to E-Read”.

This paper, successor to the EBLIDA paper “E-Publishing and the Challenges for Libraries”, focuses on the issue of e-books and their availability through libraries. (April 2012 - Rev. July 2012 and April 2013)

The current developments in the e-books market are dramatically changing the way libraries are working. As well as giving access to a wide range of content from scientific to entertainment literature in all tangible formats (books, CDs, DVDs), since the 1990’s libraries have provided access to content in electronic formats, firstly for journals and now e-books. Initially these developments occurred mainly in academic libraries but nowadays public libraries are very much involved as well. Libraries are in the midst of a transition from managing physical collections that they own to managing connections to e-content provided and owned by others.

The paper identifies the problems, reviews and analyses several aspects of the current changes and makes two overarching recommendations:

  • To move from the current unsatisfactory licensing offer to libraries to a regime of ‘Mandatory Fair Licences’;
  • That the European Copyright Acquis be updated to deliver fair access to information for European libraries and their patrons.

 

This should be applicable by:

  • Voiding of licence terms that override Member State exceptions & limitations

  • Compulsory removal of TPMs for legitimate use

  • Giving the library the ‘right to acquire’ any work legitimately made available to the public

    • including digital files

    • so exhaustion principle applies, i.e. transfer of ownership

  • A mandatory library ‘right to lend’

    • any work in any format

    • including to ‘e-lend’ remotely

  • Sale of digital content to libraries at reasonable market prices.

Interested in reading more about the solutions? Please download the press release here and the position paper here.

 

 


Share this  |
View the map and contact information >

NEWS

  • European Parliament Hearing:

    European Parliament Hearing:

    22 March 2023: The future of the European book sector Read more >
  • Press Release: Handbook on comparative e-lending policies in Europe

    Press Release: Handbook on comparative e-lending policies in Europe

    16 March 2023: Published now by the EBLIDA EGIL Group of Experts. (Expert Group on Information Law). Read more >
  • EBLIDA Newsletter March 2023

    EBLIDA Newsletter March 2023

    09 March 2023: Read about Library Legislation and E-Lending Policy in Europe, E-Relevance, RL:EU, A new tool for Partnership Matching for EU-funded Projects, Sustainable Development and Libraries and more... Read more >
  • EBLIDA Newsletter February 2023

    EBLIDA Newsletter February 2023

    15 February 2023: Are you willing to help us, so we can support you best? And information on EBLIDA Conference. Read more >
  • EBLIDA sends condolences to Türkiye and Syria

    EBLIDA sends condolences to Türkiye and Syria

    10 February 2023: Our hearts and minds are with those affected. Read more >

Subscribe to our newsletter >