Illustration for the COMMUNIA Salon: The right to e-lend featuring the stereograph "Two girls with a book on a sofa" by anonymous.

COMMUNIA Salon 01/2024: The right to e-lend

Due to the lack of a clear legal framework for e-lending at both the EU and member state level, libraries are struggling to fulfil their public service mission in the digital environment. We are hosting the first COMMUNIA Salon of this year, online on Wednesday, May 29, 15:00-16:00 CEST, on the occasion of the publication of a new policy paper on this issue.

Libraries have long played a crucial role in ensuring broad public access to knowledge and culture. Today, digital access to reliable information is more important than ever. And yet libraries can’t lend out digital books under the same conditions as physical books. What are the specific legal barriers that are stifling libraries in the digital environment? How do we overcome these obstacles?

To answer these questions, we will be joined by Stephen Wyber (Director External Affairs, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) who will set the stage by giving us an overview of the state of e-lending in Europe. Konrad Gliściński (Jagiellonian University/Centrum Cyfrowe), the principal investigator of a forthcoming study on e-lending in Europe commissioned by Knowledge Rights 21, will present his findings on secure digital lending as well as suggestions for a legal intervention. The event will be moderated by COMMUNIA Legal Director Teresa Nobre. We reserve the second half of our webinar for your questions during a Q&A session.

The salon is open to anyone upon registration. Please register using this Google Form and we will send you a Zoom link for the event.

Disclaimer: Clicking on this link will direct you to a Google Form and may lead to data being collected by and shared with third parties. Proceed only if you agree.

An etching and engraving of capterillars, butterflies and flower by Maria Sibylla Merian (cropped).
Featured Blog post:
New publication: A Digital Knowledge Act for Europe
Read more
Newer post
New policy paper on limitation of liability for knowledge institutions
May 7, 2024
Older post
New study on Italian cultural heritage laws
April 30, 2024