Cropped etching of a library, bookcase and secretaire by anonymous

Today, COMMUNIA is releasing Policy Paper #19 on e-lending (also available as a PDF file), in which we address the shortcomings of the current European legal framework, and present our recommendations for an EU-wide right to e-lend.

Libraries play a long-standing part in connecting European citizens to, and enabling their use of, information resources.The services provided by libraries are vital to the enjoyment of fundamental rights. In a world where information is increasingly accessed digitally, library users expect and need access to e-books. However, libraries face significant barriers to transition their lending practices from analogue to digital.

In recent years, it has become increasingly common for publishers and aggregators to limit access to e-books through libraries, by imposing highly restrictive licensing conditions, demanding excessive prices, or simply denying e-book licences to libraries altogether.

In our new policy paper we develop a set of recommendations that would permit libraries to fulfil their mission in the digital age, including the introduction of an EU-wide exception for e-lending and a provision to make unreasonable licensing terms unenforceable. These measures should be introduced as part of a broader legislative intervention, a Digital Knowledge Act, which addresses the needs of European knowledge institutions in the digital age comprehensively.

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
The Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information wants to make research data infrastructure more transparent
May 30, 2024
Older post
COMMUNIA Salon 02/2024: The hollowing of the Public Domain
May 21, 2024