E-Lending, Embargoes and Equitable Access: Interview with Sari Feldman

A new interview with Sari Feldman, past President of the American Library Association and currently a Senior Policy Fellow focusing on eBooks, about the situation published by IFLA’s Copyright and other Legal Matters (CLM) Advisory Committee.

The interview consists of 10 questions and answers. Here’s one exchange.

Q. What role do you see libraries playing in the eBook chain? Does this differ from the role they play in the traditional book chain?

Feldman: Public libraries represent more than 16,000 essential outlets in communities across the nation.  While book stores are also important to building readership in communities and libraries work collaboratively with community bookstores, bookstores do not have nearly the penetration in the US and many communities do not have any bookstores. 

Libraries are critical to building and sustaining readership, creating discovery of new and midlist authors, and providing equitable access to readers most dependent on libraries.  Readers in remote locations,  those with the fewest resources and those with disabilities as mentioned previously rely on libraries for reading material.  Librarians are trained to provide readers advisory services and to support readers of all ages.  Equitable access is one of the core values of public libraries and must be preserved in the digital age.

Direct to Complete Interview 

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