Ebooks: UK Libraries and Publishers Discuss Joint Ventures at FutureBook Conference

From The Bookseller:

Collaboration between libraries and publishers in the only way forwards, panelists argued at The Bookseller’s FutureBook conference today [November 21, 2013 in London].
Jonas Lennermo, chief content officer at Swedish print and e-book publisher and distributor Publit, described how the company had created the Atingo scheme as a way of bringing libraries and publishers in Sweden closer together.
[Clip]
He added: “Our key ideas are to treat e-books not as a product, but as a service. They are not objects, they are not physical, they are just digital files. We see it almost as a rental service . . . then publishers can see libraries as a retail channel.”
[Clip]
Nick Stopforth, head of libraries at Doncaster, and chair of the Society of Chief Librarians digital group, said: “I can see a new model of understanding between libraries and publishers. They bring their authors and experience and content, and we bring our userbase.”

Read the Complete Article (Includes Comments from Publishers Association and The Reading Agency)
See Also: Startup Atingo Promises ‘Radical’ Approach to E-Book Library Lending (August 22, 2013)

Filed under: Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Libraries, News, Publishing