E-lending

Handbook on comparative e-lending policies in Europe

A report prepared by EBLIDA EGIL
(Expert Group on Information Law)

 

This Handbook overhauls current stereotypes about e-lending. The studies and investigations quoted in the Handbook demonstrate that e-lending in libraries is a formidable instrument for promoting e-books.Results may be short of sensational: when promoted by libraries, an individual title may see a 818% growth in e-book sales and 201% growth in print sales. The number of e-lending transactions, measured in relation to the number of inhabitants, also shows that the market for e-loan transactions is now dramatically low and has to make great strides for the benefit of all actors in the e-book value chain.

The number of e-lending transactions, measured in relation to the number of inhabitants, also shows that the market for e-loan transactions is now dramatically low and has to make great strides for the benefit of all actors in the e-book value chain. It is now from 10 to 100 times lower than the number of book loans and in some cases, like in France, 400 times less.

“If e-lending transactions remain so low, how can the general rate of digital literacy increase? Through which resources can a Europe that is smarter, more connected, more social and closer to its citizens enhance its penetration among an alerted citizenship?”, asks Ton van Vlimmeren, President EBLIDA.

The “Handbook on comparative e-lending policies in Europe” is divided into three parts:

• PART I. includes a set of Recommendations for the European Commission, national and local authorities and e-book professionals. Giuseppe Vitiello, Director EBLIDA, is the author of the background document to the Recommendations.
• PART II. includes the Background documents.
• PART III. includes 13 Country profiles.

The full version of the document is available here.

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First European Overview on E-lending in Public Libraries

An Interim Report prepared by EBLIDA EGIL (Expert Group on Information Law)
Country profiles and Summary Tables
(June 2022)

[ PDF ]

EBLIDA 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).

 

 

 

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