eBooks and eLending in Australia: ALIA’s Position Paper and Overview Presentation

We know there are many of you are not only interested and involved in ebooks and elending issues in your country but are also interested in following the ebooks/elending discussion globally.
So, with that in mind, here are two documents from and via the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA).
1. ALIA Position Statement on Ebooks and Elending, May 2013 (2 pages; PDF)

From the Document: ALIA’s Overachieving Principles

• The best interests of library users are at the centre of our response to ebooks and elending issues.

• Our primary concern is to find elending models that are FAIR – providing our communities with Freedom of Access to Information and Resources.

• Creators (writers and illustrators) and those who add value (agents, publishers, library aggregators, booksellers) must receive appropriate financial reward for their contribution.

• The full extent of the role of libraries in the book industry eco- system needs to be understood and recognised by other stakeholders.

• We are advocates for the Australian book industry in its entirety, supporting our cultural heritage. In an increasingly global ebook market, libraries play a critical role in providing access to Australian content for Australian readers.

• Australian libraries cannot control what is happening in the global ebooks market, but we can have a strong influence on the outcomes, through our relationships with local stakeholders, and by working with the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and colleagues in library associations around the world.

• We will leverage established channels and relationships, and our involvement in book industry bodies. We will not create unnecessary duplication. 

Next, a presentation that we think is worthy of your attention.
2. Slide Presentation: “Setting the scene: the E-book landscape”
May, 2013-Sydney
Presentation by:
Margaret Allen
CEO and State Librarian
State Library of Western Australia
Direct to Slides (43 Slides; PDF)
See Also:  Presentations From “E-books in Libraries: A Global Question of Survival?” Seminar Now Online (March 20, 2013)

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