SCL and MLA Position on E-books

SCL has signed a joint position with the MLA on e-book lending in libraries.

E-book lending is a fast-growing library service. Around 35 library services currently offer e-books and several more are considering an e-books offer. E-book lending may be a small percentage of loans at present, but it is a strategically important issue for libraries: virtual usage of library websites is growing exponentially; people are increasingly looking to access information and entertainment through the internet; and digital reading is set to grow in popularity with the release of new devices and a shift towards e-reading in schools and universities. Libraries need to offer comprehensive digital services to meet public expectations of a 21st Century library service. E-books are an important element of this offer.

Information from library users suggests that people want to be able to access library e-books at home or on the move and at a time that suits them. This is a key attraction of digital services in general and the library e-book lending offer in particular. Library users do understand that library e-books will have some restrictions attached to their use and library services are committed to upholding the conditions of their licensing agreements. We would like to work with publishers and suppliers to ensure there is clarity for library services in what types of use their licenses do and do not permit, so that commercial interests feel secure in releasing content to them.

While we are pleased to see that the Publishers Association has been able to develop a consensus to supply public libraries with e-books, we feel that the baseline has been set at a level that may have very limited practical use for library customers. It also creates significant technical issues for libraries around on-site downloading of e-books. We hope that those publishers who currently supply remote e-book lending services will not retrench to this baseline position.

Libraries offer the opportunity to grow the e-books market for commercial suppliers. They provide a low-risk way for people to sample e-books and get used to reading in new formats. Libraries have traditionally developed and supported readers and The Reading Agency has commissioned research which demonstrates that library readers are also book buyers. There is no reason that this complementary relationship should not continue in virtual environments. There are many ways in which the library e-book offer could be more closely linked to a commercial retail offer than at present, and we would welcome the opportunity to explore different models with publishers, software manufacturers and retailers.

Libraries already provide extensive support to the public to get online. They can support copyright protection by teaching people about the legal use of digital content and helping them to navigate the somewhat complex world of digital rights responsibly. This is currently an under-exploited area of potential for libraries and there are a number of ways in which education and information about responsible use of digital content could be built into the library e-book lending offer.

However, the key issue is for publishers’ concerns about library involvement in the e-book lending market to be addressed in the light of publishers’ legitimate commercial interests. Libraries are confident that the digital rights management on their IT platforms is strong enough to avoid the file sharing problems the music industry has faced. The single copy single user model has built in limitations acting as a bulwark against potential abuse. The library service therefore is very keen to enter into a dialogue with publishers to ensure that any concerns about library membership and how the service is delivered are addressed and a way forward found. We believe that libraries responsible involvement in both a remote and an in house e-books service – working in partnership with publishers – will help to grow the e-book market to everyone’s satisfaction.

We very much welcome the opportunity to work together with the Publishers Association to agree a way forward for digital lending in public libraries which reflects the needs of our customers.