The Promise and Perils of Digital Libraries

Abstract

The licensing model has important implications for public libraries. The practice of library lending has depended heavily on the exhaustion principle. But in the context of ebook lending, exhaustion has not given libraries the same freedom they used to enjoy over physical copies. The restrictions imposed by copyright holders allow expansive vendor control over library ebook lending. They not only infringe upon library patrons’ freedom to borrow or access library ebook collection, but also diminish the libraries’ ability to discharge their important cultural functions. The prevalence of digital copies makes it harder for libraries to preserve works that lack perceived economic value or that are subject to censorship. It also threatens the privacy of library patrons and stifles innovation.

Forging a friction

“…However, the fear of uncontrolled book distribution in the digital context and as a consequence possible erosion or cannibalisation of sales, made the book industry search for new innovative ways of distribution (Chen & King, 2017;Perzanowski & Schultz, 2016). First, digital books are licensed to readers who gain access but do not own them, which is guaranteed by both licensing terms and through Digital Right Management.…”

“…In many countries and in many commercial channels, the digital books are no longer downloadable files but are distributed via subscription-based streaming platforms, for instance, Storytel or Bookbeat in Scandinavia. Their growing significance in many book markets may therefore be seen as a successful step made by the book industry to protect their interests, and another sign of expanding licensing culture (Perzanowski & Schultz, 2016;Sang, 2017).…”

“…As mentioned before, publishers of digital books do not sell books and eaudiobooks to the libraries but license them. Consequently, they maintain power over the lending terms and pricing (Giblin & Weatherall, 2015;Perzanowski & Schultz, 2016).…”

“…Table 1, Types of e-lending models based on existing grey and research literature Regardless of the choice of a particular type of e-lending model, the public library needs to face not only a different architecture of ownership of its digital collection but, as pinpointed by Perzanowski and Schultz (2016), also different power relations, which has relevance for the policy context. American scholars perceive e-lending models as a form of artificial friction 3 , which encompasses such actions taken by the publishers as imposing distribution delays, waiting periods, geographical restrictions and, of course, charging the libraries for loans of the digital books; all these actions intend to discourage the patrons from free of charge library loans.…”

“…Digital books on the other hand are licensed to the libraries, which means that the rightsholders, that is the publishers, maintain the power to dictate the terms of use and control pricing and availability (Sang, 2017). E-lending, and consequently e-lending models, may therefore be treated as artificial friction (Perzanowski & Schultz, 2016). The artificiality of it depends on the fact that these distribution limitations are not embedded in the technology itself but are the result of the rightsholders' concerns.…”