eLending Advocacy

Library associations and professional organisations are actively creating policies and principals around the concept of eLending to ensure that libraries have equitable access to content.  The following select list provides an overview of domestic and international eLending advocacy initiatives.

 

American Library Association

The American Library Association has taken a proactive stance in advocating for the rights of US libraries with regards to equitable access to digital content and the development of sustainable eLending practices.  
 
The Digital Content Working Group  was established by ALA to advise the association on the opportunities and issues related to libraries and digital content and the provision of equitable access to digital content for all US citizens. The eBooks and Digital Content section of ALA’s Transforming Libraries website is an outcome of the DCWG and provides an excellent overview as to the latest eLending developments in the US. 
 
A recent addition to the website is the E-Book Media and Communications Toolkit.  The kit is designed to assist American libraries to campaign for digital book access.  The resource contains advocacy/media templates a communications handbook and relevant graphics and statistics.
 
On 27th June 2013 the ALA launched the Authors for Library E-book campaign.  The campaign aims to form a partnership with authors who share a similar concern with public libraries regarding the need for equitable access to digital content for eLending purposes.       

 

Related Information:

In September 2012, the President of the American Library Association Maureen Sullivan, released an open letter to America’s publishers.  The Association of American Publishers responded with their own open communique criticising the ALA stance.
 
Backgrounder on libraries and Ebooks  http://connect.ala.org/node/186779
 
Ebook Buisness Models http://connect.ala.org/node/184815
 
OCLC and ALA collaborative research project: the Big Shift Advancing Public Library Participation in Our Digital Future.  Aim of research to more fully understand the challenges that U.S. public libraries face in providing e-book content to borrower. http://www.oclc.org/au/en/news/releases/2012/201243.htm
 
 

 

In November 2012 ALIA announced (http://alia.org.au/advocacy-and-campaigns ) a major initiative to establish a position statement for Australian libraries regarding the eBook and eLending debate .  

ALIA has also facilitated a number of eBook and eLending think tank sessions in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.  Representatives from all sectors of the library profession participated in the think tank sessions.  The following presentations from the seminars have been made available by  ALIA (for further information please refer to the ALIA website).
 
• Margaret Allen, CEO and State Librarian, State Library of Western Australia.  Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne think tanks  
• Margaret Allen, CEO and State Librarian, State Library of Western Australia. Sydney think tank 
• Dr Craig Anderson, CAUL representative, University Librarian, RMIT University.  Melbourne think tank
• Greg Anderson, CAUL representative, University Librarian, The University of Newcastle.  Brisbane think tank
• Ross Balharrie, Services Deliver Coordinator - eResources , State Library of New South Wales. Sydney think tank 
• Anita Catoggio, Collections Manager, Yarra Plenty Regional Library.  Melbourne think tank
• Sharan Harvey, Manager Library Services, Brisbane City Council.  Brisbane think tank
• David Howard, CAUL representative, University Librarian, Edith Cowan University.  Perth think tank
• Margarita Moreno, ALIA Interlibrary Loan Advisory Committee representative, Document Supply Service Manager, National Library of Australia.  Brisbane think tank
• Rosa Serratore, Chief Librarian, National Meteorological Library, Bureau of Meteorology.  Melbourne think tank
• Andrew Wells, CAUL representative, University Librarian, University of New South Wales. Sydney think tank
 
The concerns raised in the think tank sessions were discussed by a select group of library representatives at  the eBooks and eLending Summit held in Melbourne on 12th March 2013.  To promote discussions ALIA produced a background issues paper; Ebooks and Elending Issues.  ALIA has subsequently developed a DRAFT set of key principals for the procurement and use of eBooks in Australian Libraries.
 

A new report on the international eLending landscape was released by ALIA in April 2014.

The eLending Landscape Report 2014, reviews large scale eLending initiatives in Canada, the United States and Europe.  An in-depth analysis for each initiative is provided with a focus on the approximate establishment and collection costs, project motivation and goals and an assessment of the projects viability and sustainability. 

The report notes that Australian public libraries continue to experience great difficulty in obtaining eBooks for eLending and finding a platform that will meet the desired criteria.

  • A secure, trusted repository that contains ebooks from the big publishers, as well as from authors direct, and from local publishers
  • Content procured at a fair price
  • Providing access to local history content
  • Library branded
  • Providing content that can be accessed from all sorts of devices
  •  With a clever discovery layer
  • The options of loan or buy.
 
Please also refer to the Licensing and Legislation section for information on the Book Industry Strategy Group, Book Industry Collaborative Group, Copyright Expert Group and eLending Reference Group.

 

European Bureau of Library, Information Documentation Associations, E-books in Libraries Campaign

In 2012 Eblida commenced the E-books in Libraries Campaign to, “draw the attention of politicians and citizens of the European Union both to the risks and threats at stake for libraries and their patrons (therefore also to the citizens) with the current situation in the volatile market of e-books in which libraries have very few rights.”

For an overview of the aims of the Ebilida’s campaign and associated publications please refer to their website 
 
 

eBooks for Libraries is a US advocacy initiative founded by Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.  It aims to inform library borrowers about the difficulties public libraries encounter when trying to secure digital content for their communities.   The site contains an online petition which will be presented to the big publishers in due course.  

 

International Federation of Library Associations

In 2012 IFLA  released a publication, Background paper on E-lending.

The paper attempts to:
  • Provide an overview of the issues relating to eBooks in libraries;
  • Summarise the current positions of publishers in both the scholarly publishing and trade publishing sectors;
  • Summarise the differences in the way that academic/research libraries and public libraries address the issue of digital collections;
  • Address the legal context for eLending and library principles that must be upheld in any suitable models;
  • Provide a detailed legal analysis of eLending
 
Following the publication of the background paper IFLA convened an expert panel meeting in November 2012.  The ensuing discussion by the panel informed the development of the Principles for Library eLending issued in January 2013.
 
A related publication produced by IFLA which addresses the complexities of digital content collection development is: Key Issues for e-Resource Collection Development: a Guide for Libraries. 
 
On the 21st February 2013 the IFLA Management of Library Associations Committee and the Chartered Institute of Library information professionals held a joint seminar on eBooks and the challenges faced by libraries titled eBooks in Libraries - A Global Question of Survival?  The presentations from the seminar are now available: http://www.cilip.org.uk/ifla-mlas-seminar2013/pages/presentations.aspx
 
For more information on the seminar please refer to the IFLA E-Lending news page

In August 2013, the IFLA Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) released a thinkpiece report, Libraries, eLending, and the Future of Public Access to Digital Content'.  The report explores future options of e-lending and public access to digital content via libraries.  

The accompanying Matrix: Models of Accessing Digital Content. Libraries, e-Lending and the Future of Public Access to Digital Content” will also be of interest to public library staff.  

For further information on IFLA’s current activities please refer to IFLA E-lending  website

 

 

Kansas State Library was an early adopter of eBooks managing a statewide consortium eBook collection on behalf of public libraries.   The original content supplier was the US company OverDrive however, due to a disagreement between the aggregator and Kansas State Library the partnership was terminated.  The dispute resolved around a 700% increase in the annual administration fee levied by OverDrive over the three year period of a new service provision contract.  After tense negotiations focusing on the ownership of the content, Kansas State Library was allowed to transfer the majority of eBook titles to a new platform.   As a result of this incident OverDrive subsequently changed their terms and conditions to specifically state that content provided by the aggregator is leased by the library and is dependent upon the continuance of a contractual arrangement between OverDrive and the library.
Kansas State Library continues to offer eBooks via a statewide consortium using the 3M Cloud Library and the Freading eBook platforms.   
 
In 2012 Kansas State Library launched a social media campaign against the Big 6 publishers targeting restrictions on selling content to libraries, exorbitant pricing and checkout limitations (Kansas State Library Big 6 eBook Facebook page).  
 

Further Reading and Resources:

Kelly, Michael. 2011, Kansas State Librarian Can Transfer Thousands of Titles from OverDrive to 3M at No Charge. Available from:  http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/892348-264/kansas_state_librarian_can_transfer.html.csp
 
Kelly, Michael. 2011, Kansas State Librarian Goes Eyeball to Eyeball with OverDrive in Contract Talks. Available from: http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/890089-264/kansas_state_librarian_goes_eyeball.html.csp 
 
Public Library Association E-Book Action: Inform and Inspire Your Community podcast featuring Kansas State Librarian, Jo Budler. December 18, 2012.  http://www.ala.org/pla/onlinelearning/webinars/archive/ebookaction 

 

In 2010 Library Renewal was formed in the United States as a grassroots, non-profit organization to, " further the mission of libraries, primarily as it relates to electronic content” (our working Mission Statement). Library Renewal was formed because it was clear to those involved that the future of content access through libraries is largely in electronic formats, and the ways libraries currently acquire e-content is inefficient, very costly, and ultimately unsustainable." 

One of the key founding members of Library Renwal was recently interviewed on This Week in Libraries on this project. 

TWIL #51: Michael Porter (Library Renewal) from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.

 
 

 

The New Zealand Association of Public Library Managers (APLM) recently released their strategic framework 2012-2017 paper.  One of the 8 key priorities for action is that the association, ‘work with NZ authors, publishers and booksellers to develop a whole of country approach to deliver an eBook solution’.
 
The APLM also developed a program to raise the awareness of eBooks in the community and highlight the fact that many NZ public libraries offer eBooks for loan.   The initiative included training for public library staff and the general public.  The website for this initiative, Travel Light This Summer with Library Ebooks, has a large collection of useful resources. 
 
 

The Swedish Library Association has taken a strong standpoint on the eBook issue as they perceive a threat to the fundamental mission of libraries. The association has released a position statement called Say Hello To Your New Librarian.  You can download an english version of this document from the Swedish Library Associations website.

 
"We will fight for everyone’s right to information and knowledge!"
 
-Niclas Lindberg, Secretary General of the Swedish Library Association
 

The UK Culture minister Ed Vaizey announced in September 2012 that the government will undertake a review of eLending in public libraries.  The review will specifically focus on:

  • the benefits of e-lending;
  • the current nature and level of e-lending and projection of future demand;
  • the barriers to supply of e-books to libraries; and
  • the possible consequences of e-lending, including the long term impact on library premises, the effect on publishers and the impact on those who cannot keep up with changes in technology.

The UK Department for Culture Media & Sport released the report: An Independent Review of E-Lending in Public Libraries in England on 27 March 2013. 

 

 

Last updated 9/9/2013