European Library Bureau Campaigns For eBooks in Libraries

By Dianna Dilworth 

eblidaThe European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations (EBLIDA) has launched a campaign to push European libraries into providing access to eBooks.

The “Right to E-read” campaign is dedicated to raising awareness about the challenges involved in getting eBooks in libraries in the EU. Check it out: “The campaign, initiated by EBLIDA, is being carried out in all European countries. The idea for a campaign poster with a logo and slogans was developed by the e-books task force headed  by Gerald Leitner. At the European level, EBLIDA is coordinating the campaign. EBLIDA provides information and material for its members for download and use.”

Barbara Stripling, president of the American Library Association (ALA) congratulated EBLIDA for the campaign. “We understand that many libraries in European countries have faced challenges in obtaining and lending best-selling ebooks from major book publishers,” she stated. “In fact, surveys suggest that more than 50 percent of the latest ebook titles are not available to public libraries in Europe. Today, we applaud EBLIDA for demanding that the European Commission change copyright law to require publishers to sell to libraries.”