The eBook dilemma: copyright, licencing and digital lending in libraries – 51st LIBER Annual Conference

"In their daily work, libraries face several legal issues relevant to copyright law, especially in the digital environment. Lending a publication, making a digital copy of it, or simply listing related material online are just a few examples of day-to-day activities that imply to consider, on the one hand, the rights of copyright holders and, on the other hand, the rights to access and use such works by the public.

The digital aspects of lending, eBooks, also present an interesting dilemma not only when it comes to copyright issues, but where the agency of libraries is concerned. As eBooks are not sold but licensed, publishers not libraries choose what titles can be acquired, how long they can form part of the collection and the terms under which they can be lent out to students and researchers. These issues as well as high prices, bundling of titles and the requirement to buy the same title repeatedly, all challenge the notion of what it means to be a library.

This workshop, designed jointly by the reCreating Europe and Knowledge Rights 21 projects, is designed to share findings and observations on the topic of copyright and eBooks. The first part of the workshop, led by the researchers of Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (Pisa, Italy), partner of the EU funded project reCreating Europe, aims to briefly illustrate the copyright framework that is relevant to libraries and users, with a specific focus on EU and national copyright rules concerning public lending and the preservation of cultural heritage, and prepare the audience for the second part of the workshop. The second part of the workshop will be lead by Knowledge Rights 21 and will focus on the issues that face educational libraries regarding eBooks, and what can be done about it...."