swedish library association

THE
LIBRARY
AND
E-BOOKS
SWEDISH LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
DEFENDING
FREE
SPEECH
We take it for granted that we will be able to borrow
books and other media from our libraries. But there is a
bigger and more important issue to consider, something
we may not always think about when we flip through
book spines and film titles, newspapers and eBooks.
That issue is human rights.
The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights states
that everyone should be free to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any medium of expression, independently of national frontiers. It’s a beautiful
statement – but it is also completely meaningless if it is
not applied in practice.
Someone needs to make information and knowledge
assessable to all people and thus allow them to use their
rights of freedom of opinion and expression. Someone
also needs to speak up and speak out when this mission is threatened. In defence of free speech. That’s why
there are libraries.
E-BOOKS
ARE HERE
TO STAY
E-book are just one of several formats that public libraries
buy to pass on to their borrowers.
E-reading is still in its infancy in Sweden. Here we have
access to 5,000 titles while the U.S., perhaps the most
advanced country in the world when it comes to e-reading,
has access to over 1 million titles.
E-books have the potential to spread reading to more,
and new, groups of readers that libraries would otherwise find difficult to reach. Access to eBooks in libraries
is not only a question of freedom for borrowers in choosing their preferred reading format, but it also affects the
library’s core mission: to increase reading and provide
citizens with free access to information.
In terms of the authors’ and publishers’ interests, libraries also work as shop windows and as an introducer of the
individual authors and their work. The lending of eBooks
will help libraries to both increase the accessibility of new
and popular books, and introduce a new technology to
new groups. This will be useful for the lending model in the
long run.
PRESENT
REMUNERATION
MODEL
Libraries have always paid for the books they have procured for their users. Today libraries pay a fee of about 20
SEK per loan of an eBook. Payment per loan deals with
all eBooks in the same way even though eBooks are only
briefly at the top of sales and lending charts. Local examples show that interest in borrowing individual titles may
be affected by the activities of the library.
Today’s competition in the distribution of eBooks is unsatisfactory. In a well functioning market, libraries would
be free to purchase media from various independent suppliers. Today all individual libraries themselves negotiate
with eBook distributor Elib, meaning there is little chance
of a municipal library influencing purchasing conditions. Thus the Swedish Library Association welcomes that
the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, is willing to take on the role of collectively representing individual municipalities’ interests.
IMPORTANT
PRINCIPLES FOR
A NEW MODEL
Libraries have a deep and broad function in society, they
are important for: knowledge and learning, inspiration and
development, culture and experiences, democracy and
freedom of information, as well as being community focal
points and safe havens.
The Swedish Library Association’s overarching premise is everyone has the right of free access to information,
culture and knowledge through public libraries. Some
principles are particularly important for a sustainable remuneration model for eBook lending.
WE WANT:
• A model that ensures both that library users have access to all
published formats, and that authors receive compensation for
their works. Borrowers should be able to borrow and to consume media in the channels of their choice.
• To make sure libraries should be able to offer borrowers up to
date materials. So-called withdrawal periods should not occur.
Libraries should be free to independently select and purchase
books.
• Technology that will not knowingly be used to hamper reading. For example, ensuring DRM protection does not prevent
people with disabilities taking advantage of eBooks.
A NEW
REMUNERATION
MODEL
The Swedish Library Association would like to see a
compensation model that makes it easier for libraries to
acquire eBooks and to be free to decide what is to be
purchased and loaned. Libraries will continue to pay
publishers and authors for the goods bought. We also
want the lending of eBooks to be covered by the government flat rate, Libraries Compensation.
We want a long-term model that weighs publishers’ commercial interests in newly released books with the libraries’ mission to freely make available current information
and knowledge. A model can be formatted based on three
classes of books: new titles, old titles, and titles without
copyright or digitized with government or other assistance.
These three classes could mean different fees and
charges that will vary over time. Higher fees when a book
is new and lower fees for older books. The reason for this
is that libraries make all eBooks available, even those that
do not have a commercial market. A new compensation
model will provide continued stimulation for eBook development where libraries are a fundamental success factor.
SVENSK BIBLIOTEKSFÖRENING
SWEDISH LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Box 703 80, 107 24 Stockholm, Sweden, E.U.
Phone: +46 8 545132 30, Fax: +46 8 545 132 31
www.biblioteksforeningen.org