No Theme: E-BOOKS - Scandinavian point of views

Transcription

1 No Theme: E-BOOKS - Scandinavian point of views

2 Edit rial A new open library concept. Jens Thorhauge 3 The delicate balance of loans and sales. Jakob Heide Petersen 4 E-books in the library: Borrower s rights at risk. Dag Erlend Lohne Mohn 6 A way to create context E-books at Swedish libraries. Rickard Carlsson 10 E-books are coming; what will change? Kaisa Hypén 12 Viewp int Considering e-books. Joacim Hansson 14 Borrow an ebook The e-bookcase. Bo Fristed 16 The e-boom when is it coming? Rickard Carlsson 18 Electronic material for public libraries. Virva Nousiainen-Hiiri & Aija Laine 20 Close encounters: Three Finnish library projects make a difference. Päivi Jokitalo 22 Scandinavian Views: Cross-border Library Services. Jeffrey W. Hancks 24 Scandinavian Shortcuts. Päivi Jokitalo 26 Finland takes leave The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture has been responsible for Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly since the beginning of For the next five years the National Library of Sweden will be in charge. Also Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly takes leave, reappearing as Scandinavian Library Quarterly from next year on. Broadening the themes to relate also to scientific libraries will hopefully result in an even more interesting journal for you to read. Barbro Wigell-Ryynänen Editor-in-chief. Counsellor for Library Affairs, Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland In this last issue we take a look at a challenging newcomer, the e-book. Far from having solved all the problems linked to this new library material we want to give you a broad view of our current efforts and projects. Wishing you all a Happy New Year 2012 with our new journal, Scandinavian Library Quarterly! Barbro Wigell-Ryynänen editor-in-chief barbro.wigell-ryynanen@minedu.fi

3 Edit rial A new open library concept Jens Thorhauge In striving for new public library concepts we see many fancy ideas presented. One of the most successful results in Denmark is the open library concept. As all libraries are open, open library is hardly a very apt term for a concept that allows users to access the library space in principle 24/7 and serve themselves with loans and return materials. And use the computers, read or maybe even set up a meeting or an event, if the space allows it. In the first instance the term open library was chosen as the concept was implemented in libraries that had typically been branches with short - and often inconvenient - opening hours. And open library is also a term preferable to self service library, as this concept requires another kind of professional support enabling the users to complete the necessary transactions themselves and to find their way in the library. In a few years this concept has spread to 80 libraries in Denmark and more are planned. The reasons for this fast spread of a new concept are several. First and foremost the concept is simple. All Danes have a medical card with a magnetic stripe and a bar code, and along with a pin code obtained at the library this card gives you access to the library. In the library there is a video camera, and during some of the opening hours there may be staff, but the principle is self-service at the automated loan and return desk. And in by far the most of the many opening hours, there is no staff at all. A second cause for the success of this concept is immediate user accept. A typical model is that opening hours are from morning to late evening every day. And due to the log-in procedure there are valid user statistics. Users come and go all through the long opening hours. Forget about branches open a few hours at midday. The open library that I frequently use in a small village is open from 6. a.m. to midnight every day, and last time I used it was a Saturday evening, where there were five other users during the 20 minutes I was there. A third good reason for the success, or even a prerequisite, is that for many years Danish libraries have worked with self-service in loan and return transactions, which means that a majority of users are familiar with selfservice procedures, which by the way are extremely simple. What is really striking and astonishing at least for me is that the concept has spread from small villages with a high social control to more complex neighbourhoods in cities. And extremely few examples of theft and vandalism such as tagging and aggressive ruining of furniture have been reported. On the contrary, there seems to be a tacit agreement among citizens that this is a good spot for everybody, hard to be against, resulting in a common protection of the library. It seems that the public library has a position comparable to the church that has for centuries been run with open, unguarded houses. The open library concept demonstrates that it is possible to create institutions that are under the protection of the public and are designed to meet citizens needs in a flexible way. It is likewise obvious that there is a potential for further development of the concept. A library director told me, that in their open libraries they often found traces of activities they did not know of. For instance all chairs in the library set up in a half circle revealing that some presentation had happened in front of them. We actually give the library space back to the users. It is their library, she said. The perspective in this is also a strengthening of the civil society and we need that badly. Jens Thorhauge Director General Danish Agency for Libraries and Media jth@bibliotekogmedier.dk Translated by Vibeke Cranfield Medical card access to library Photo: Bjarke Ørsted SPLQ:

4 DENMARK The delicate balance of loans and sales At the beginning of 2011 the online retailer, Amazon, announced that its sale of e-book titles for the first time had surpassed the sale of paperback titles. The company also proclaimed that its e-book reader, Kindle, is the best selling product in the history of the company. After more than ten years with predictions of the imminent breakthrough of e-books it is now safe to say that the e-book is no longer just a niche product but is being accepted by the general public. As the demand for library e-books increases one of the most pressing concerns among librarians is how to lend e-books and whether it will be possible to make them available within existing budgets. In parts of the library community there is an expectation that e- books will be inexpensive for libraries, and there is a demand for business models that give libraries the opportunity to give unlimited access to e- books. This article will try to show why this is unlikely to happen and to point to more realistic scenarios for e-book lending. Possibilities and challenges for libraries The introduction of e-books will have profound implications for libraries and for public libraries in particular. The yearly overviews of it-trends published by the consultancy company, Gartner Group, are called hype cycles based on the experience that there is a tendency to overestimate the short-term effect of new technologies. The cycles do, however, also incorporate a corresponding tendency: that we tend to underestimate the long-term effect of new technologies. This could very well be the case with e-books. E-books will challenge public libraries in many ways. The primary reason for visiting a public library is still to check out books. Therefore e-books could increase the possibility of library bypass. E-books are, however, first and foremost an exciting new possibility for libraries to serve the public in new and better ways. They can be used in new ways to promote reading, the joy of literature and to support lifelong learning. They can also help libraries reach new user groups that do not visit the physical library. The e-books could also potentially be a means of saving money for the individual library. If e-book titles replace physical copies libraries could save money on the storing and handling of physical materials. Such savings will require a deliberate choice to prioritise digital content as there is likely to be a continued demand for the physical book. Most users are quite conservative in their media habits and new media forms often supplement existing media forms rather than replace them. The possibility for libraries to use e- books to provide new services to patrons or as a means to save money will of course depend on the cost of e- books and the conditions for making them available. There are unfortunately two very important constraints on the way libraries can make e-books available: copyright legislation and the commercial interests of publishers and authors. Copyright legislation The cornerstone of international copyright is the author s ownership to his work and the exclusive right to decide how to make it available to the public. The legal protection of the author s right to his work establishes an incentive to create new works in the expectation of subsequent sale of these works in a market. The prohibition of unauthorized copying creates a market for the work and enables the author to receive revenue that is proportionate to the effort put into creating the work. The underlying presumption is that without the copyright protection the works created would be fewer and of lesser quality. In most countries there is an exemption in the copyright legislation allowing libraries to buy a copy of a physical book and lend this copy to the public without restrictions. This exemption does not exist for digital copies and so libraries have no special status when it comes to e-books. This means that libraries have to have permission from the rights holder to make e-books available. Libraries have to negotiate a contract and obtain a license to lend e-books. This situation has prompted some members of the library community to advocate for changes in the copyright legislation that would give libraries the same special copyright exemptions for loans of e-books as they have for physical books. While some modification of copyright legislation could be both valuable for libraries as well as realistic it is highly unlikely that loans of e-books could be covered by the 4 SPLQ:4 2011

5 The challenge is to find business models that enable libraries to lend out e-books while not undermining the commercial to private individuals Jakob Heide Petersen same exemptions that apply to physical books. The reason is that such a step would undermine the sale of e-books to private individuals. The sale of physical books in Denmark totals more than 500 million Euros a year and the sale to the public libraries is less than 30 million Euros a year. If the Danish publishers converted the whole portfolio of physical books to e- books without any restrictions on library loans they would risk losing their entire revenue from sale to private individuals, companies and institutions. There would also be less money to pay authors and establish an incentive to produce new works. The publishers might therefore prefer to have no or very restricted e-book loans. There is, however, in most countries a political demand, that it should be possible for libraries to lend out e- books. The challenge is therefore to find business models that enable libraries to lend out e-books while not undermining the commercial to private individuals. E-book business models There are at least three basic models for e-book loans: access-based (e.g. flat rate), usage-based (payment pr. loan), ownership (payment pr. copy) that can be combined in numerous ways. In addition to these models there are different freemium models that are outside the scope of this article. With access-based models the library pays for access to an e-book collection. If it is a flat rate model the library will pay the same amount independently of how many e-books are borrowed. For public libraries this model will only work with a short loan period or a limit on renewals as it will otherwise undermine sales. Usage-based models have the advantage of larger payments to the publisher as usage increases, thereby compensating for potential corresponding decrease in sales. In some models the library will pay a smaller unit price pr. loan as the number of loans increase, thereby giving the library a larger incentive to promote e-books. The model is also dependent on a short loan period or a limit on renewals. The ownership model has been made famous by the American e-book distributor, Overdrive. The library buys a digital copy of the work and owns this copy.it is treated exactly like a physical copy of a book and is subject to the same scarcity. The library only has the number of digital copies it has purchased, and the user can therefore experience reservation queues. The latter model has been quite successful in the US possibly because publishers feel more comfortable with a model that resembles the traditional arrangement. There is a lot of controversy about Overdrive because the publisher Harper Collins imposed a cap on the number of loans of its books through Overdrive (26 loans), and because Overdrive in September did a deal with Amazon to deliver library e-books on Kindle without notifying the libraries. Although the model has met with some opposition in the library community it could be a good transitional model and support the digitisation of earlier works. Both the Internet Archive and initiatives such as Gluejar work with this model. The choice of model for library e-book loans The choice of the right model depends on the behaviour of the users. It cannot be determined in advance whether a given model will strike the right balance between sales and loans. This balance could prove even more delicate for smaller language areas where library loans can have a stronger impact on sales. In November 2011 a consortium of Danish public libraries will launch an initiative with lending of new e-books from Danish publishers. The initiative is a trial and the result of close collaboration with some of the larger Danish publishers. The initiative relies on a usage-based payment model. In addition to the libraries experiences it will be important to study both how the users receive the new library offer and how the publishers combine the library model with the sale to private individuals. Such initiatives are important steps in identifying the relevant model for library loans of e-books. It is not unlikely that we will end up with a combination of the different models or with different models for different types of e-books. Jakob Heide Petersen Head of Division Danish Agency for Libraries and Media jhp@bibliotekogmedier.dk SPLQ:

6 NORWAY E-books in the library: Borrower s rights at risk One of the most important issues affecting the future of libraries is in the process of being decided. Everything indicates that e- books will be an important form of the literature consumed. We don t know how many people will prefer e-books and we don t know when e-books will really take off. But all the figures and graphs from countries ahead of us in this development indicate that the time will come. Music and film have entered the arena of libraries but have never overtaken the book in importance. The book is and will continue to be the nucleus of library services. For the time being there is nothing to suggest otherwise. And e-books are essentially books. They are books in a new form. If we don t pay attention to new developments, we have much to lose. If the public s preferred form of reading in 10 years time is the e-book and we cannot deliver good services, we might just as well close down. It will mean we have not given our borrowers what they deserve. It is now that we have to find out how e-books should be offered to our borrowers. It is now that the shape of this future service has to be hammered out. The Intellectual Property Rights Act paragraph 19 gives libraries in Norway the right to lend out books. This does not include e-books. Borrowing is restricted by the following sentence: nor does it allow for lending of machine-readable examples of computer programs. Although e-books are very like physical books in content, they are treated as program software by the Act. This is a considerable challenge for libraries and we must sit down and negotiate a solution so that we can lend out e-books. Another and more long- term solution would be to work to change the law so that the right to lend out also includes e-books. Difficult start E-books in Norway have experienced a difficult start and e-books in Norwegian libraries have been a long time coming. What is the reason for this? How should we Norwegian librarians tackle it? This is a relatively complex topic and one can approach it from a number of angles. My view is that of an employee in a library. I want the borrowers in Norwegian public libraries to have the best service possible. That is the foundation for further production, breadth and diversity of literature. Norway is actually a country where all the conditions should be favourable to allow for rapid development in this area. We have one of the world s bestdeveloped broadband networks, we spend a lot of money on electronic goods and we are one of the top nations when it comes to a reading population. We are also very quick to utilise new technology and we change our media habits in step with new developments. Both the people and the state have solid finances. So why have we not embraced e-books in Norway? First and foremost it is because they have not been available. It was only in 2011 that it became possible to buy e- books from the major Norwegian publishers, with a few notable exceptions. This is much later than in countries that we like to compare ourselves to.and when e-books finally arrived, the solutions were not optimal; especially when book buyers had expected the easy and convenient methods they were used to from Amazon and Apple. In seeking reasons for this hesitation it is easy to fall back on the ownership constellations in the book trade. The three largest Norwegian publishers own the three biggest bookshop chains. And who has the most to lose in the transition from physical books to e- books? Probably those who distribute and sell: the physical bookshops. It is nevertheless easy to understand the publishers scepticism. We are a small and vulnerable language community. Consumers look to the USA and expect lower prices and good services. Norway is a small market, and export of literature is not big business either. In the long term, however, I still think that Norwegian publishers should push forward assertively on the e-book front. As it is now, more and more people choose to read books in English as they are so readily available on Kindle, or because the choice is just so much better. In the short term it is perhaps more profitable to let the printed books in the physical bookshops be the most comfortable solution, but the consequences long term may be fatal. Give the borrowers a voice A library s right to lend out books in printed copies is laid down in the Intellectual Property Rights Act. E-books are not included here as they are treated as electronic intellectual property and fall into the same category as for example software programs for computers. We can disagree with this definition, but we must abide by the law as it is today. Consequently we are obliged to negotiate and find an opening for lending out e-books. We must work to find a way to offer this service to our borrowers. It is a new situation, which 6 SPLQ:4 2011

7 There is no organisation that promotes the rights of the library users Dag Erlend Lohne Mohn demands new thinking and new methods from libraries. Many organisations which have a hand in setting the agenda for today s e-book debate in Norway also have the task of protecting their own profit margins. It is understandable. A whole industry feels it is under attack. Those of us who work in libraries must also protect our own profession and the survival of our institution. But in addition, we have a responsibility to obtain the best possible terms for our borrowers. There is no one else to ensure their voice is heard. There is no organisation that promotes the rights of the library users. It is our responsibility and it is important to remember that we should always keep that perspective. Current situation Libraries should not stand, cap in hand, silently accepting whatever is offered. We must demand good terms. In the transition to e-books, the terms and conditions for libraries must not be worse than they are today for printed books. That should be our minimum requirement. At present discussions are being held among the publishers, distributors and libraries. Everything points to a solution for lending of e-books, which copies today s method of lending printed books. I am not certain this is the ideal solution but nevertheless it is the solution that is currently acceptable to Norwegian publishers. We have to abide by it and make the best of the situation we have. That means we must be able to demand the same advantages the printed books give us, and not just accept solutions that provide a poorer service for our borrowers. Against this backdrop, the NLA - Norwegian Library Association (a nonprofit, independent organisation aiming to promote and develop library and information services) initiated the establishment of a committee that will define what is important for Norwegian public libraries when it comes to e-books. They agreed on six principles that should be employed in dialogue with other organisations in the book trade and in relation to cultural authorities. The principles represent the ideal situation, but we maintain that this is a realistic minimum requirement in today s circumstances. We have tried to create principles that are as dynamic as Libraries should not stand, cap in hand, silently accepting whatever is offered SPLQ:

8 We cannot have a situation where all that is on offer is a package of e-books that the librarians have no control over possible so that we can tackle the transition to new technologies and new forms of distribution. The principles read as follows: 1. No difference between the choice of books for sale and those available to borrow. E-books destined for the general market place can also be bought in by libraries. This point is quite straightforward. We cannot have an arrangement where libraries can only buy a selection of the range of titles. It cannot be so that some titles are reserved only for private sale and not to libraries. Our borrowers must be able to find the same titles in the library as in the bookshop. 2. No time restrictions. When e-books are for sale they should also be available for loan. In other media we have witnessed examples of time restrictions or release windows. A film can premier on one continent but comes much later on another. Some time later it comes out on DVD. Finally it ends up being shown on a TV channel. The timeframe for a film is gauged so as to make as much money as possible in the biggest number of markets. This type of release window has also been mentioned in relation to e-books in Norway. The theory is to first offer the e-book for sale on the private market, wait until it has been saturated, and subsequently offer it to libraries to purchase in order to lend out. This is most unfortunate and will mean that libraries will not be offering up-to-date services. 3. Freedom of choice. Libraries must themselves be able to prioritise the books they offer to their borrowers. Librarians are used to buying books. They know what borrowers in their area want to read and have experience of what is most in demand. This is simply about respect for our profession. We cannot have a situation where all that is on offer is a package of e- books that the librarians have no control over. Media budgets are tight and the libraries must of course decide how the money should be spent. 4. Platform independence. Libraries must make all possible efforts to ensure that the e-books they offer can be read on as many different reading platforms and devices as possible. There are many different types of electronic reading devices. Some people will want to read on other platforms than reading tablets. They may want to read on their PC or mobile phone. The library should offer solutions that work on as many of these platforms as possible. Of course there are closed platforms that we have no control over, but the phrase we have chosen to use here is make all possible efforts. We recognise that we cannot reach everyone, but we will try to reach as many as possible. 5. Libraries will meet the book trade s standard requirement on copyright. The book trade wants to have copyright on the e-books sold. That is something they decide on. As long as that is the norm, libraries cannot lend out books without copyright protection. We should not be associated with pirate copying. We must not be a source of illegal distribution of intellectual property. Although there are different opinions on this topic in the library community, we must abide by the views expressed by the owners of the intellectual property. It is as simple as that. Libraries can seize the opportunity to be an alternative to pirate copying. We can be the good, free service. Which is also legal. Why then would one choose the alternative, which is worse and illegal? 6. E-books purchased in the period where the Book Agreement applies, should be available to lend to one borrower at a time, an unlimited number of times. We now get to the most debated point on the subject of the lending of e- books, the actual heart of the discussion. How on earth should we lend them out? Should we think about copies and licenses? Should we consider price per lending period? Should we give the borrowers unlimited access to all content? The technology allows for a range of possibilities and within the public library service there are a number of different opinions. The most liberal advocates believe that it is not right for a library to lend out books that have copy protection. However, being realistic, we have to remember that we are working with an industry that is dependent on making money. If nobody makes any money from writing books, the majority of writers will stop writing. If the publishers don t make any money from publishing books, they will simply stop. That is the reality today. We can also imagine that libraries will have a much greater role in the distribution of books than is the case today. Sales may be less important and loans perhaps more important. This assumes a large increase in the libraries budgets, which at present seems unrealistic. It will also lead to a connection between public services and access to literature in general, which can be a disadvantage. The path to state control and censorship of literature distribution could become all too easy. So we should probably base our thinking on the fact that the relationship between sales and loans will be approximately what it is today. I think libraries themselves would want this; I 8 SPLQ:4 2011

9 think the authorities agree and I think the publishers would certainly not want to stretch to more than this. In practice this means that loans will be different from sales. Loans must have limitations. We have to have control over what we lend out. We must also have limitations on loan periods and renewals, just as we have today. In fact, this is all about translating the systems we have for lending printed books to the realities of lending e-books. But then it is important to preserve the advantages that printed books provide. The borrowers cannot be left with poorer terms after the transition from printed to e-books. In principle number six we have proposed a minimum which is no worse than what we offer borrowers today, but neither is it any better. One book loaned to one borrower at a time, an unrestricted number of times. This applies to new books in the period covered by the Book Agreement (a voluntary agreement between Norwegian publishers and book-sellers that fixes prices on new books in order to protect and develop Norwegian language and literature). We would welcome a more flexible arrangement for backlist books, for example, a payment per loan or set prices for access to larger packages, if the libraries want such an arrangement. But the minimum must be that we have the same conditions as we have today for physical books. Compared to our neighbouring countries of Denmark and Sweden, the arrangement being discussed for Norway is much more restrictive and limited. Wear and tear Some publishers have claimed that we must introduce digital wear and tear on e-books, meaning that an e-book would stop working and the library would then buy a new copy after, for example, 25 loans. This is supposed to reflect the wear and tear suffered by printed books. It is claimed that libraries today buy in a book, lend it out until it is worn out and thereafter buy a new copy. That is not how it works. Libraries dispose of books, but it is because they are no longer borrowed or have become out of date, or because there are too many copies of one book. A library will often buy in many copies of a bestseller to meet the immediate demand. After a couple of years the demand for the book diminishes drastically. Then it is no longer rational to have so many copies either on the shelves or in the book stack. The most sensible thing to do is dispose of them. Let us take an example from Drammen Public Library. The novel Berlinerpoplene by Anne B Ragde was published in 2004 and became a big success. In Drammen they purchased a total of 17 copies and these were all in circulation for the first year. Interest in the book decreased somewhat and many copies were left on the shelves. In 2006 the library had disposed of seven copies and had ten in circulation. Today the library has five copies on the shelves and these are still being borrowed, including the first copy, purchased in 2004, which has been borrowed 66 times to date. It is still in reasonable condition. Some people have claimed that the books should have a limited timeframe, that for example they should stop working after three years and that we should then purchase them again. This would also be wrong. Berlinerpoplene, a printed book purchased in 2004, is still doing the rounds today. Support arrangements and finances Arts Council Norway s purchasing arrangement has for many years been an important contributing factor to the building up of Norwegian library collections. It has led to Norwegian libra- ries having a basic minimum range of new titles regardless of fluctuations in a library s finances. In 2012 there will be a project to try out a purchase arrangement for e-books. This is important for libraries in three ways: It is an acknowledgement that e- books and libraries belong together. Norwegian cultural authorities want to have e-books distributed to the Norwegian people and libraries provide a suitable means of doing this. It will ensure that libraries have a selection of e-books. Libraries media budgets are already tight and no library will have increased resources even though the users might want e-books. It is an important step in terms of language policy and literature policy, which will ensure a broad production of Norwegian literature and good distribution to all the country s libraries. E-books in Norwegian libraries have yet to find their place. But at least it seems we are on the right path. There is dialogue between publishers and libraries; support structures are in the making, and distributors will soon be ready with suitable systems. Experience from Buskerud County also reveals that the borrowers are ready and waiting. They are enquiring about new forms and content. Hopefully we will soon be ready to deliver the goods. Dag Erlend Lohne Mohn Adviser Buskerud Country Library and member of the Norwegian Library Association s Committee on E-books and Libraries Dag.mohn@bfb.no Photo: Beate Ranheim SPLQ:

10 SWEDEN A way to create context E-books at Swedish libraries Interview with Inga Lundén In connection with the National Library of Sweden s (Kungliga biblioteket) e-book assessment, the SPLQ chairman of the Swedish Library Association (Svensk biblioteksförening) met Inga Lundén, who is also head of the Stockholm public library, in order to hear what her vision is regarding public libraries and e-books. What is your reaction to the assessment as a whole? It is a good foundation that shows where we stand right now in the e- book issue. It provides us with a good overview of existing models and it describes the situation well, but there are further aspects that we can bring up in this interview. Can you give an example? The issue of access to e-media in the Swedish language is not sufficiently brought to light. The assessment simply confirms that a critical volume of titles is important nothing about the consequences. If we do not follow the trend, public libraries will continue to be good for paper media, even if our reading habits change over towards e- media. If there are no e-media in Swedish and neither is there a model for us to make them available, then we will have crippled the free access to information that we take for granted in our developed part of the world. What are the risks as you see them? We see that several international entities, such as Amazon and the Canadian publisher Kobo, are expanding and may enter the Swedish market with e- books in English. That is, in itself, interesting. But in the current situation, where many Swedish people are so fluent in English that they do not wait for a Swedish translation but immediately buy the English title, reading habits are in danger of changing. Already today, a lot of Swedish literature particularly detective stories is quickly translated and released in English at almost the same time as they are in Swedish. The question is, how will that affect the Swedish language and is there a risk that literature in Swedish will become marginalised? What, then, is needed for libraries to be able to make e-books available in Swedish? Two things. We need a large entity that can negotiate agreements for e-books and e-media; someone who can test the market. The National Library of Sweden has recently been given a mandate to coordinate the country s libraries, and the Library has competence and experience with agreements and negotiations from the university library perspective. It would be an enormous waste if each individual municipality and region were to have to negotiate for themselves. The second major issue is that of digitisation. Previously, it has been an issue mainly for researchers and archiving, but the digitisation issue is also about the Swedish language and the cultural heritage that has already been published. Book publishers have indicated that they are not going to be able to afford to digitise older titles. Therefore, I think that the state should establish a fund for digitising older Swedish titles otherwise, there is a risk that we will lose important parts of the Swedish language and our literature. This is an issue for the revised Litteraturutredningen. 1 The e-book assessment indicates that a transition to more e-books will bring about major changes in the organisation of public libraries and their way of working. What are the greatest challenges for public libraries as you see it? When we talk about free access to information, experiences and knowledge, it should apply to everyone. So we need to strengthen outreach activities regarding digital participation. But work has to begin with us improving our own skills. We at the Stockholm public library have conducted a pilot study and a project is now under way, which we call Mediesprånget ( Media Leap ) and which is aimed at our employees. They should feel comfortable with the new technology, teaching practices and the new possibilities that e-books provide. They need to become skilled at bringing out new media and new ways of reading and learning. We shall then begin a greater task involving digital participation or digital inclusion. We are working together with senior citizen s associations, immigrant s associations and others who have the same goals and interests. We are testing things such as an online help desk that has been started and simple courses in various forms at different libraries, and we also purchase more literature that has to do with computers, how to get the most out of your e-reader and so on. It is about including everything, quite simply. The e-book assessment indicates that a transition to more e-books could mean that libraries need to re-prioritise their budgets. An obvious risk is that additional library branches might 10 SPLQ:4 2011

11 Inga Lundén: I believe that libraries will continue to be a source of empowerment for publishers, since we constantly generate a new customer base for them Rickard Carlsson have to be closed. What is your opinion on that? You could compare things to what happened twenty or so years ago, when bookshops started disappearing from rural areas and where internet-based bookshops now provide completely new access to a range of titles for people living in sparsely populated areas. It is now just as quick to order a book in Haparanda as it is in Stockholm, and the range available is also greater than it is in physical bookshops. Similarly, the internet can bring about accessibility for library users. Does this in any way affect the way that libraries work? The assessment also mentions changing roles for public libraries. This highlights one of the core commitments that libraries have: to introduce literature and put it into context. Some examples from the Stockholm public library are Poesibazaren ( Poetry bazaar ),where readers and potential readers meet debutants and established poets. We also have Den långa svansen ( The Long Tail ) where current authors introduce their soul mates in older literature. Much of this can, of course, be done online, but it is a completely different experience to meet in real life. Media at the libraries becomes a tool for introduction and context. Can you give an example? The assessment claims that a Spotifytype solution, where e-books are provided directly to the reader, would mean that libraries will be falling behind. A couple of years ago, I listened to a conversation between the head of Musikradion ( Music Radio ), P4, and the manager of Spotify. The question was put: is Musikradion really needed when people can get all music through Spotify? The head of Musikradion claimed the same kind of public service commission as libraries: to introduce and put in context. And that is true; I make more use of Musikradion s programmes since I started using Spotify. But how do you feel about e-books perhaps meaning that library branches have to close fewer branches is, after all, a tendency that has been going on in Nordic countries for the last decade? It has a lot to do with the situation in different neighbourhoods. Are there, for example, other activities that the library can cooperate with? In many places, partners can be found in businesses, associations and schools as well as other municipal public services. Then there is always a limit for when libraries are no longer of interest; when the opening hours are too short, when they do not have enough new books and too few personnel, then it can be better to concentrate resources. Being used to travelling a long way or for a long time in order to get access to what we are looking for is something that big cities and sparsely populated areas have in common. It has been written recently that libraries could threaten the commercial publishing industry if the libraries were able to lend out e-books for free. What is your view of that? I believe that libraries will continue to be a source of empowerment for publishers, since we constantly generate a new customer base for them. When libraries do their job and introduce new literature, it contributes to an interest and an improved market for debutants. It is the same with e-books. In addition to that, libraries have been the large market for e-books in Sweden for the last five or six years. In the past, we managed to convince the publishing industry and bookshops that we are a partner and not a cannibal when it comes to paper books that libraries always pay for themselves and their users and I believe that we can do that again. But we need new models to follow. Is it possible to discern any special Scandinavian approach regarding the issue of e-books and libraries? Yes, there is a collaboration between the Nordic library associations regarding e-books and copyright issues. It is Denmark that is mainly responsible and a report is expected in early It is of interest because we have the same approach regarding free access and have similar legislation. But things are developing differently in the different countries, so it will be interesting to see what the Nordic library associations can achieve together; partly to see the factors for success, but also to be able to act collectively in relation to politicians and organisations in the Nordic countries and Europe. Rickard Carlsson Press- and Communications Officer Communications Division National Library of Sweden Rickard.Carlsson@kb.se 1 A committee assigned to analyse the standing of literature today and identify trends that are expected to affect the area of literature in the future SPLQ:

12 FINLAND E-books are coming - what will cha The FinELib consortium of the National Library of Finland has negotiated an agreement with Ellibs Ltd, which will enable Finnish public libraries to purchase e-books from the company s selection offered to libraries. This gives all public libraries the opportunity to offer electronic books to their patrons. Introducing a new type of material poses new challenges for libraries, e.g. how will the work with collections change when library staff handles electronic files as opposed to real volumes of works. How will patrons find the online collections? What type of consultation does the library staff need? Vaski libraries Vaski is a cooperating body of nine library organisations in Western Finland, which have a joint library system, joint principles and conventions of operation and regulations for use. Eight additional libraries will be joining Vaski in the spring of The joint library system enables libraries belonging to the Vaski system to share collections, and, indeed, volumes are flexibly transported from one library to another according to the patrons needs. Cooperation associated with the collections in Vaski libraries will be further consolidated in the future; one objective being to compile common principles related to the collections. Creating a joint e-book collection was the first concrete step towards a joint collection because an e-book collection is by nature genuinely and fundamentally common to these libraries. A fundamentally common collection Launching an e-book into use is not dependent on time and place in the same way as the volumes in an actual collection. Patrons can download an e- book from the online service even when the library itself is closed; all they need is a library card for the Vaski system and a password. In this way, the collection is fundamentally available to all the people who are patrons of the Vaski libraries. What s more, the use of the system cannot be limited based on, for example, patronage to a certain Vaski library or the municipality where a patron lives. An e-book collection cannot, therefore, be created by considering the needs of the patrons in a single library as in the case of an actual collection. Instead, consideration must be given to the type of e-book collection that would serve all of the patrons in all of the Vaski libraries. Moreover, the costs of purchasing the collection should be divided in a jointly agreed way, i.e. in proportion to the population of the municipalities. But what type of collection? The first e-book collection in the Vaski libraries, which contains approximately 300 keywords, is a type of trial collection within which new types of materials and their distinctive features are encompassed. The experiences acquired from administrating and using the system dictate the selection of material and the management of the collection in the future. The following issues needed to be considered when making the selection: Is there a certain theme particularly desired in electronic format, should we purchase an electronic version of a work already in print, should the e- books complement the real collection or should they offer something completely new alongside the existing collection, are there disciplines with the best and most recent works primarily in electronic format? Demand also poses limitations on selection. For example, there is a limited selection of material essential to public libraries, Finnish fiction, available due to reasons related to copyrights mostly publications from small publishers and self-published works. Material geared towards young people is available on occasion, and there are no e-books for children at all. The collection in use now consists mainly of material related to society, law, data processing, business and commerce and marketing. Most of the books are in English. The contents of the collection reflect that which is available for libraries in online bookshops. How to find e-books? You do not bump into an e-book by chance in a library, nor are they on the shelf of returned books. Ways of presenting e-material and making it readily available to patrons is something that needs to be considered. All the e-books in the Vaski libraries are categorized and described in the Vaski system. There is a link in the descriptions that allows patrons to loan the book through the Ellibs service. When the collection is introduced at the beginning of October, it will be marketed to patrons and they will be offered consultation on how to obtain the e-material through hands-on guidance if necessary. This is not, however, enough because e-material must be advertised constantly and the 12 SPLQ:4 2011

13 nge? An e-book collection cannot... be created by considering the needs of the patrons in a single library as in the case of an actual collection Kaisa Hypén ways in which this online collection is to be made visible not only on web pages but in the library as well must be considered. In the future we could organise exhibitions related to the topics of the most widely read books, put brochures about e-books on the library shelves with the same category or even project descriptions/pictures about the books on the wall. We also need a type of new acquisitions shelf where we can advertise the new e-books purchased for the collection. We should be especially acute to the feedback from patrons concerning the collection at this initial stage. Getting information about using e-books The current model used in public libraries for obtaining e-books is through the Ellibs service. When a patron finds an interesting e-book through the Vaski system, (s)he logs into the Ellibs service and downloads the work onto his/her computer, e- book reader or mobile device. The works offered by Ellibs to libraries are in PDF format, DRM-protected and only one reader at a time can use each work. It is possible to copy and paste parts of some works and then print them out. The PDF format causes problems when using the e-books with smartphones especially. Some studies, e.g. Aalto University, indicate that the DRM-protection may also cause problems. Statistics pertaining to the use of e- books can be viewed when you sign into the Ellibs service with the ADMIN ID for the Vaski libraries. You can see how many times each work has been borrowed. For libraries, it is problematic not to be able to follow up more comprehensively on how the collection is used, i.e. there should be information about whether certain patrons borrow a certain e-book(s) often, do they use e-books occasionally or systematically, what category of material is being circulated, are there patrons that have begun to read only e-books and does the loaning of e-books have an impact on the actual collections of books in the library and, if so, in what way. The question of statistics is also an interesting issue. Obviously each Vaski library reports the number of joint e- books that have been borrowed. However, there is no information about how many patrons in a single library have used these books. The availability of e-books is not what it should be yet This is thus the first experience Vaski libraries have had with e-books and the library-like use of them. Little by little, as we obtain more information about the use of the collection and the distinctive characteristics of that use, we will be able to agree on the issues pertaining to the management of the collection, such as book removal and storage. As with selection, the management of the e-book collection also calls for joint agreements and principles. Since we do not have much experience in the use of this new type of loan material, some areas of development can be mentioned at this point, one of the most important ones being to offer patrons the most sought after domestic fiction in the form of e-books. At its best, the library could answer to peaks in demand by increasing the user rights of e-books. E-books should be better integrated into the libraries collections and data systems to facilitate the gathering of statistics concerning the use of them more comprehensively. In an ideal situation, e-books would be just one format among others and patrons could use e-books as it suits their needs in a given situation. Sometimes the best format for a book is a paperback or audio-book, sometimes a hardcover volume or an e-book. Patrons should have the freedom to choose which format best suits their needs at any given time. With regard to classical music, we have come closer to granting patrons freedom of choice; patrons can choose whether they listen to a piece of music at home through the Naxos remote service, or whether they borrow a CD from the collection at the library. It seems that the increased use of Naxos explains, at least in part, the decrease in loans of classical music records. Kaisa Hypén Service Manager Turku City Library kaisa.hypen@turku.fi SPLQ:

14 SWEDEN VIEWPOINT: Considering e-books During the past year e-books have become somewhat of a problem for Swedish libraries. The reason for this, interestingly enough, is that libraries want to do so much but don t always have the necessary means. Leading library spokespersons have even suggested that the question of e-books is a watershed issue for public libraries. Is this really the case? Hardly. The demand for e-books in Sweden today is fairly limited. Libraries point to increased demand but the fact is that there has only been a slight change from an actual zero point a few years ago. What we re seeing here is the same sort of technological stress which has characterized social media you have to have them but no one knows what to do with them and few patrons ask for them. It s interesting that the demand for e-books in libraries is still relatively small and it s important here not to blame library patrons. It seems as though Swedish readers aren t entirely convinced of the benefits of e-books. The presumed advantages of e-books seem, to a great extent, to be championed by book publishers and manufacturers of the technological platforms needed to read e-books. Who then should libraries listen to? The relationship between libraries and publishers is not entirely unproblematic due mainly to the fact that publishers require payment for every individual download which means that increase in demand will have economic consequences for libraries. Currently publishers have the last word regarding pricing even though libraries have been persistent in trying to persuade them to consider alternative pricing structures. Reading about this kind of discussion can be rather tiresome. Access to e-books isn t a question of democracy. Reading is. Free loans in public libraries are. E-books aren t So what to do? There is a general assumption that the use of e-books will increase and this expectation is probably quite reasonable. The electronic industry, which is rapidly dominating our everyday lives, seizes every chance to demonstrate its own indispensability and they re certainly not going to retreat from this stance now. The publishing and entertainment sectors are playing the same game. We ve probably never seen such a strong concentration of commercial forces in action. With e-books however, things are taking a little longer. Just why this is so is a complex question and can t really be answered without exhaustive studies which, at the present point in time, are conspicuously absent. How libraries can and should conduct themselves is, however, another matter. Up until a few years ago it might have been reasonable to assume that libraries would simply demand that publishers refrain from offering secondrate financial solutions for products that aren t even in demand libraries had more important things to occupy themselves with. The focus was user needs. Perhaps it still is, but in another sense. Today libraries want to offer new technology because they believe patrons need it. This is a somewhat misguided version of traditional public library goals to educate and cultivate. And this has never been as clearly evident as in the case of e-books. Perhaps libraries should relax and let publishers muddle about with e-books until there is a large enough demand to justify libraries working seriously with them. Only when patrons start to ask for e-books can libraries then consider the best way to integrate them with daily library operations. 14 SPLQ:4 2011

15 Viewp int Joacim Hansson That s probably the best scenario. There is actually a risk that what we re seeing is a new Betamax situation. Betamax? A few of us might remember the revolutionary new video technology in the 1970s featuring large cassettes, which was quickly supplanted by the much more manageable VHStechnology. If the public aren t interested in today s e-book formats then new formats will inevitably emerge. That s why it s important not to rush into anything, but rather wait for alternatives to appear as they surely will in six months or so. Perhaps libraries should relax and let publishers muddle about with e-books until there is a large enough demand to justify libraries working seriously with them And who knows? Maybe, but only maybe, the hubristic technological frenzy publishers are caught up in will exhaust itself and ultimately the book will reign supreme in its classic codex form a format we know that public library patrons appreciate. We ll just have to wait and see. Joacim Hansson Professor The Document Academy and the Department of Library and Information Science Linnaeus University, Sweden Translated by Greg Church B. SPLQ:

16 DENMARK Borrow an e-book The e-bookcase e-books will undoubtedly be important to the library s users and thereby to the libraries. For that reason alone it is vital for the libraries to become part of the development. A medium becoming digital does not change the fact that the libraries will maintain their mediatory role in terms of literature and can facilitate reading and qualify and support the readers choice. It has therefore been of great importance to launch a new and modern e-book service. A recently signed agreement between the Danish public libraries and publishers gives library users access to the loan of a wide selection of e-books. A new website is being launched at the same time, and a mobile application that enables library users to collect e- books on-the-go. The idea is that the new e-book service will spread the knowledge and use of e-books in Denmark. Danish libraries can now offer library users the chance to borrow a great variety of e-books. To start with you have a choice between more than 3,000 titles, but many more are expected to be added to that number. The catalogue contains both fiction and the lighter part of non-fiction material. Thus a number of biographies as well at titles for children are on offer, but the main focus is to begin with on fiction. The project has been carried out with funding from the Danish Agency for Libraries and Media, in a consortium consisting of nine large Danish local authorities, as well as a number of other partners such as Litteratur- siden.dk, Danish Library Centre, Publizon and the two largest Danish publishing houses. The project s task has been to establish a new national e-book service for public library users, based on a platformindependent modern architecture, which via our national metadata repository (TING data well) can be integrated in the libraries user interfaces, and at the same time in a common portal and with mobile functionality. The e-book catalogue will thus be searchable in the library s database at the same time as one entry is established on ereolen.dk (e-bookcase.dk). The project has been requested to establish a sustainable, durable and attractive e-book offer, and this includes literature mediation, partnership with publishers, working with new business models and new technology. What is on offer? Initially the service offers e-books for download based on DRM-protected epub-files. This is i.a. out of consideration for the publishers who want maximum security in order to prevent pirate copying. The service is based on a service-oriented architecture (SOA), and the entire frontend is Open Source and consequently available to anyone else wanting to create something similar. The next phase in the project will be dealing with streaming and native App s to iphone/ipad, Android and perhaps Windows Mobile 7. Several business models will be tested, and efforts will be made to incorporate foreign e-books in the service. The e-book case is a counterpart to netlydbog.dk (net audio book.dk) a service that lends net audio books and is based on identical principles and architecture. The common architecture facilitates integration to and from a number of other national library services. In this way user-created content, comments, rating, tags etc. are shared across all media. The users can find news and reviews of the book and themselves contribute 16 SPLQ:4 2011

17 Kirjastokaista, Finnish library web TV, presents hundreds of videos marketing and presenting libraries and the library sector. Videos include interviews, recordings of events, documentaries and scripted programs. Kirjastokaista.fi is funded by the Education and Culture Ministry. See video interview with Bo on: Bo Fristed with comments, just as they can get samples of the titles available i.e. read the first chapter of a book before deciding whether they want to borrow it. A loan can be transferred to a PC/MAC or downloaded onto mobile units to be read in one s preferred e-reader. It is, however, a precondition that the reader supports Adobe Digital DRM. The loan period is 30 days, and it is possible to renew. The agreement Among Danish publishers there is still great uncertainty as to the kind of importance e-books are going to achieve on the book market as such. The e- book consortium has discussed models and prices with two major Danish publishers in order to be able to formulate a framework agreement, which has subsequently been offered broadly to all publishers. More than 50 publishers have accepted the agreement, including most of the large, broadspectred publishers. This means that we can launch the e-bookcase with a very comprehensive catalogue and therefore with substantial backing from the publishers, which was one of the success criteria. Establishing consensus about an agreement has turned out to be quite a major undertaking. There are inevitably conflicts of interests. The libraries want cheap e-books and a model where one knows and can adjust the costs. The publishers want an agreement that does not make holes in the earnings expected from the sale of e-books. Both are quite legitimate interests and it therefore requires a delicate balance, which has taken time and a lot of preparatory work. The libraries have all along maintained that the loan of e- books can stimulate sales. Just as we experienced it in the 1930s when Danish libraries gained the right to lend physical books. Many models have been considered, including a flat rate agreement and the Overdrive model that is being used in many other countries, particularly the US. The latter has not been interesting to the libraries, because the limitations from the physical books are transferred to the digital version, which only makes sense in terms of the libraries cost management, but which on the other hand is a poor service in relation to the users. The agreement contains a model for the libraries payment to the publishers. As for the users the service is free just as in the case of physical books. The agreement is click-based i.e. it costs a certain amount per download. There is a differentiation in price between new books and books with a publication date of more than 12 months ago. Moreover, there is an inbuilt discount stepladder which means that the more e-books you download, the less you pay. The click price starts at DKK 18,50 (Euro 2,46) and drops to 16,50 (Euro 2,20) for the new titles. For older titles the prices move from DKK 15,00 (Euro 2,00) to DKK 13,00 (Euro 1,73). The discount stepladder s cheapest rung is reached when 145,000 e-books have been loaned. Further conditions of the agreement are that - the libraries can determine an upper limit for the number of loans per borrower per month - the libraries can determine an upper limit for the budget per month - it is possible for the users to buy e-books directly - you cannot cut or copy from the texts - usage statistics are collected. It is furthermore part of the agreement that publishers who have signed on must make their entire catalogue of current books available. This means that anything that can be bought can also be borrowed, and in this way the libraries avoid publishers e.g. omitting to make the authors most recent titles available for loan. It is optional for the libraries to participate. In order to market the e-bookshelf, and thereby guarantee broad usage, the consortium has applied for DKK 1,000,000 (Euro 133,000) from the Danish Agency for Libraries and Media. If we get the money it will be used to halve the above prices until the money runs out. We are now eagerly looking forward to finding out how the users react to the new service. A massive marketing initiative is on the cards digitally as well as in the urban space. We plan i.a. to erect virtual bookcases in the urban space, which can be accessed via Augmented Reality that is to say marketing the e- books as a digital layer between reality and the person looking at it. Bo Fristed CIO Culture & Citizens Services City of Aarhus Translated by Vibeke Cranfield SPLQ:

18 SWEDEN The e-boom when is it coming? When is the e-book boom coming to Sweden, and how does it affect the ability of libraries to make e-books available? That is the question that the National Library of Sweden s (Kungliga biblioteket) e-book investigation set out to answer when it started its work in the spring of The question, however, is not so easy to answer. In some areas, the boom has already started, but, in others, it might never happen. The subject of e-books and libraries is multifaceted and difficult to define. In recent years, the debate about e- books and libraries in Sweden has intensified. When the National Library of Sweden was given an extended mandate to coordinate all publicly-financed libraries, a commission was assigned to work together with the Swedish Library Association (Svensk Biblioteksförening) to assess which problems exist in making e-books available through libraries. This is a condensed account of that assessment. In short, the assessment shows that the situation on the Swedish e-book market is somewhat locked. The range of titles available in Swedish is extremely limited and there is also no great demand from readers. Neither the publishing houses, the authors nor the consumer electronics industry have made any serious attempts to launch the e-book as a product for the masses. The chicken or the egg The explanation for this is mainly that financial incentives are lacking. Publishers enjoy having a stable and working market for printed books where conditions have been well-known for a long time. An upcoming market for e- books appears uncertain and is associated with a number of unsolved problems relating to copyrights, file sharing and uncertain profit margins. Neither do authors seem to see any great opportunities for financial gain with e-books; neither for new books nor older titles that are now out of print. Within the consumer electronics industry, there is little interest in marketing reading devices, since both content and customer demand are lacking. From the user s perspective, there is little demand for e-books, whether they are commercial products from publishers/booksellers or are freely-available files from the library. At this stage, many people lack technical know-how and there are few who consider it worthwhile investing in a reader when there is not very much to read. In the few cases where there are new titles in e-book format, there is no established technical format. The pricing also means that e-books are not yet competitive. User surveys show, too, that people seem to prefer physical books. I still believe that consumers can be the driving force behind an increased range of e-books being available, says Göran Konstenius, who is operations assessor at the National Library of Sweden and has led the assessment. As more and more acquire tablet PCs and smart phones, interest in e-book reading will increase. Finding simple distribution systems from author to consumer is also an important piece of the puzzle. Currently, complicated technology and a lack of standards is often a hindrance. Locked situation Apart from the financial forces that are missing for an e-book boom to occur, there are also a number of legal and technical problems that need to be overcome before things can start to happen in earnest. Both authors and publishers are uncertain about how to sign agreements for e-books without one of the parties losing out. As for the technology, platforms for distribution and payment are currently lacking. Meanwhile, it is not inconceivable that entities other than those who traditionally deal with books will bring out initiatives that push development forward. This could, for example, be broadband suppliers or mobile telephone operators that see a benefit in including extra services and content with their offerings. The assessment also contains an international consideration, which suggests that development has progressed much Swedish report on the e-book boom SPLQ:4 2011

19 Rickard Carlsson Göran Konstenius: I still believe that consumers can be the driving force behind an increased range of e-books being available further abroad, primarily in the Anglo- Saxon world, but also in countries with large language areas, such as France and Germany. This applies within the commercial sector as well as in the library world. Changes abroad may also come to affect the situation in Sweden. Large international players might start releasing their products on the Swedish market, making the boom hit very quickly. American company Amazon, for example, has in recent years begun releasing its Kindle e-book reader outside English-speaking countries. Libraries and e-books Even if the situation on the e-book market is rather locked at this stage, electronic media are nothing new for university and research libraries. Here we can say that the boom happened a few years ago. Today, these libraries spend about 80 percent of their budget on electronic material. They have drastically thinned out the shelves, reduced the size of their premises and abandoned much of the traditional library management. But the transition to electronic media has not been completely without problems. Often, the commercial entities offer a number of different technical platforms and business models that are complicated and make it difficult for libraries to keep stock and stay in control over their collections. When it comes to public and school libraries, any potential boom has yet to occur, even though discussions and debates about it have been going on for several years. Although many public libraries offer e-books for borrowing, based on a commercial supplier, the agreement means that e-book lending would become very costly if borrowing were to suddenly increase. Additionally, the libraries ability to influence their collection is controlled by the interests of the publishers. But there could also be alternative functions for libraries, according to Göran Konstenius: When demand for e-books increases, it will become more attractive for publishers to digitise older titles that are expected to be interesting to larger audiences, but the prognosis for smaller titles is less clear. This is where digitisation by the library could be the answer. Strategic choices The conclusion reached by the National Library of Sweden s assessment is that the e-book boom whether it has already occurred or is drawing close is going to require libraries to define their roles ever more clearly in the future. The digitisation of e-books will eventually require new strategies for the different kinds of library. For specialised libraries, the digitisation of unique items and collections is impor- tant in order to facilitate management and access. Hospital libraries often play a dual role in that they are for both research and patient use; two groups with completely different needs. For school libraries in the long term, the e- book boom will mean a transition to handling electronic teaching materials in a way reminiscent of academic libraries. Many within the school system are in favour of abandoning the exacting handling of printed teaching materials, therefore hopefully having more time for qualified coaching and information retrieval. The assessment observes that, when the e-book boom reaches public libraries, they will be faced with a similar restructuring process already undergone by university libraries. The question is how public libraries will be able, financially and organisationally, to restructure in this way when there are currently great demands on the traditional library service from those borrowing books. Personally, I think that an interesting question is how the public library service may be affected if e-book borrowing were to increase significantly compared to today, says Göran Konstenius. If the download can be done from home, the number of visits to the library in order to borrow books drops. Perhaps that would open up the opportunity for other activities related to literature, reading and other kinds of cultural mediation at the library. Rickard Carlsson Press- and Communications Officer Communications Division National Library of Sweden Rickard.Carlsson@kb.se SPLQ:

20 FINLAND Electronic material for public libraries The use of digital material in Finnish public libraries is still rather meagre. For the most part, databases based on various themes and copyright-free materials have been available to patrons. The rapid development of technology, and especially the increased use of mobile devices, is completely changing how people read and process information, and the modified information environment places public libraries in a new situation. Patrons would like libraries to offer them the kind of digital material that answers to their needs. A collaboration project to get started In the spring of 2010, the city libraries in Helsinki and Turku began to investigate digital texts and e-book readers, in order to introduce readers in libraries and to gather feedback from patrons about their experiences using the readers and the digital material. The idea was also to familiarize library professionals with the reader and e- books. Negotiations concerning the loaning of e-books in libraries began with Finnish publishers. When the loaning of the readers began, there were only a few models available to choose from, but once the supply of readers grew,more models were added to the range. In addition to the traditional readers, tablet computers were also purchased. Copyright-free material was downloaded onto the devices after which patrons received a reader and material ready for use. The trial was a huge success. The patrons were interested in the readers and libraries not only received new patrons but a great deal of visibility in the national media as well. Conclusions The Turku City Library actively gathered feedback from patrons concerning reader loans. Nearly 300 patrons responded to the questionnaire. The patrons appreciated the library s active role in introducing new technology and perceived the library as a place where they can learn about the new technology and new type of material easily and safely. The responses also reflected the patrons open-minded attitude towards the library s role and their enthusiasm about using new services. In spite of the positive feedback, patrons were, however, disappointed with the type of digital material offered. Patrons would like the libraries to keep a diverse digital collection alongside the collection of printed material. They suggested the collection should contain fiction and non-fiction as well as e-magazines/ journals. Many of the respondents emphasized that they would like to use e-material offered expressly by libraries. The project began with the loaning of e-material readers, but as far as libraries are concerned, the devices themselves are more and more becoming part of a transitional stage. They are just one format for obtaining materials. Introducing new technology to patrons is an important task, but it should not stand in the way of the most essential issue: the primary task of libraries is to offer an extensive and varied collection in the future as well. The right of libraries to loan out digital material is an essential question. The project resulted in the need to consolidate the expertise in public libraries and, together, find solutions to questions concerning the entire field. Libraries and the publishing business in Finland At the moment, the situation of libraries and the publishing business is in a delicate stage. At the beginning of 2011, the publishing business became fully aware of the status of public libraries in the distribution of e-material and especially e-books. The publishing business in Finland is conservative and new approaches are carefully considered before they are introduced. The status of public libraries is difficult because they are in the same market area as consumers. Publishers want to sell material straight to the consumers, but, on the other hand, it is the duty of libraries to guarantee electronic material equally to everyone even to those who do not have the opportunity or desire to obtain electronic material strictly for their own use. A challenging issue is also the fact that public libraries cannot demand material for distribution; rather, they must acquire material by influencing various stakeholders and by listening to general opinions. Funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation and led by Finnmedia, the on-going Next Media ereading project, which entails several years of research, will define the entire sphere of operations as regards electronic material in the publishing business. It will also define the status of public libraries in the e-book and e- magazine/journal distribution chain. The project has involved a survey of the licensing practices in libraries in 20 SPLQ:4 2011

21 Virva Nousiainen-Hiiri & Aija Laine It is the duty of the libraries to invest in visibility, publicity and marketing and to provide consultation to patrons on how to use digital information and culture Finland and elsewhere in the world. The National Library of Finland has represented the library sector in the project and all of the more significant book and magazine publishers have participated in one way or another. Electronic material for public libraries Somehow electronic material will have an impact on all the activities in public libraries in the near future. The Council for Public Libraries launched a project, Electronic material for public libraries, and assigned a committee to work in it. The members of the project committee extensively represent the public library field and the expertise within the field. There are representatives from libraries with Finnish- and Swedish-speaking users, and the committee also receives consultation from outside experts. The committee is applying for project funding for the upcoming years to obtain electronic material for patrons in public libraries to use. Objectives and main tasks of the project One of the main goals of the project is to influence publishers and writers as well as general opinion and legislation in recognizing the role of public libraries as distributors of electronic material and in including libraries with Finnish- and Swedish-speaking users in the e-book distribution chain. Additionally, there are endeavours to include public libraries in the ereading project which is a part of the Next Media research program. Furthermore, library professionals in Finland should be aware of the more significant projects related to the library field being carried out around the world and, with regard to the availability and distribution of e- material, collaborate with European libraries and library-related organisations. This is one of the main tasks of the project. A foundation for an e- material-related strategy will also be created during the project. Once the e- material strategy for public libraries is compiled, libraries will be able to adapt their services more easily and introduce new types of content. The project s concrete objectives involve obtaining well-functioning license models together with publishers and FinElib, The Finnish National Electronic Library. At the beginning of the project, emphasis will be placed on e- books and e-magazines/journals, and then efforts will be extended to include the purchase and introduction of e- music, e-audiobooks and e-movies. Instead of having the current municipality-centred purchase and financing model, it would be more suitable to switch to a consortium-based model for selecting and purchasing materials, like academic libraries have already done. A centralized purchasing and financing model would produce savings, increase efficiency and reduce bureaucracy. At the same time, collaboration and division of duties with FinElib will be regenerated. Some of FinElib s duties related to material purchases and marketing could be done more efficiently in a consortium of public libraries; some of the duties are better being handled through FinElib. Towards the end of the project, e-materials that answer to patrons needs will be purchased for public libraries. The distribution of electronic material will be made as flexible as possible for patrons and libraries. It is the duty of the libraries to invest in visibility, publicity and marketing and to provide consultation to patrons on how to use digital information and culture. In conclusion Finnish public libraries have combined their resources to guarantee their patrons up-to-date, comprehensive and well-functioning e-material and the distribution channels for it. The future will reveal whether or not we have succeeded in our endeavour. The library s role as provider of material and consultant on how to use it is essential in a world that is becoming more and more digitised. Our society is built on the idea that equal access to information and culture must be guaranteed to all citizens, our capital is built on a foundation of expertise and innovation, we need a well-functioning, up to date and inventive library institution. Libraries must reform their activities and seek means to cost-effectively guarantee services of the highest possible quality to their patrons. This project is one step in achieving this goal. Our vision and objective is to bring Finnish public libraries to the level of the top countries as providers of digital material. Virva Nousiainen-Hiiri, Office Manager Aija Laine, Project Planner Helsinki City Library SPLQ:

22 FINLAND Close encounters: Three Finnish library projects make a difference Getting Netted, One Click Away from Knowledge and Spaces and Contents of the Information Society are three Finnish public library projects funded by the European Social Fund where meeting the users on their home turf is the starting point. While Getting Netted reaches out to user groups who are in danger of being marginalised from the information society and from the services of libraries One Click Away From Knowledge aims at serving those living in peripheral areas and enabling their participation through social web and Library 2.0 solutions. Spaces and Contents of the Information Society has been actively engaging local users in creating contents online. All projects encourage lifelong learning and active citizenship through libraries. Getting Netted! During a seminar, 40 kilometres from land in the local archipelago, the staff from Vaasa City Library and the Datero Foundation (IT Centre for Special Groups) started discussing how they could make it easier for the print disabled and people with difficulties in reading to enjoy books. The result was Books for the Ears,a bilingual audio book circle in the city with a 25% Swedish-speaking minority. Books for the Ears is mainly geared for people with reading difficulties but anyone interested in talking books is welcome. Topics have included biographies and stories of dogs. To lower the participation threshold, it is ok just to listen without taking part in discussions. In Seinäjoki, the library students from the University of Applied Sciences teamed up with the city library to start a course in IT skills for a group of long-term unemployed locals. The students first interviewed a focus group of five participants. On the basis of the discussions an outline was drawn up: the basic skills in using the internet and a PC, information retrieval, online job search advice, use of e-journals and more leisurely contents were on the agenda. In the end, the small group had e.g. learned how to save files on a memory stick and how to fill in a CV online, the students gained valuable experience in guiding a small group and the library got new users. Another library actively working within the frame of the Getting Netted project is Turku City Library, where one of the target groups has been mental health rehabilitation outpatients. The library collaborated with IT students and the local mental health association, ITU. The participants wanted to learn about , photography, music, Facebook the list was long. In the end, the newly founded library club met once a week for three months, sometimes with cakes and drinks. Taking photographs, making a photo comic strip and organising the participants photos on a computer proved to be a brilliant idea going through the pictures together was fun for all involved. The boundaries between work and personal life, the professional and the personal, often became blurred which requires reflection and discussion within the staff at the library. Other user groups targeted in the Getting Netted project include prisoners who record good-night stories on CD for their children, laid-off dock workers, a drug and alcohol recovery group and groups of women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The common thread has been to meet the users more regularly on their ground to lower the threshold of using public libraries, to co-design services with users, not just for them. One click away from knowledge Sometimes the most important results and the best practises stem from between the lines of the project outline. Testing the remote use of the library system at different events, lending out materials, making requests, issuing library cards, around the region got surprisingly good feedback and coverage in the local media. Whatever 22 SPLQ:4 2011

23 Päivi Jokitalo the happening, the library is sure to have material and information on the topic. World Championship on Boletus picking check, the local harvesting festival check, workshop on teaching and learning methods for teachers check. The project also doubled as library marketing when library patrons and non-users could meet the staff at shopping centres, study circles, school lobbies and community houses as part of their everyday life activities. Spaces and contents of the Information Society While the projects have had people of working age as their main target group, the oldest participants in the regional Häme Wiki workshops were over 90 years old. The wiki is one of the three central services developed in the project in Hämeenlinna which is one of the three regional central libraries taking part in the project. The Virtual Path,virtuaalipolku.fi, presents cultural services and destinations using Google maps. The maps are enhanced by pictures and sound, by stories, anecdotes and videos. Anyone can add their own suggestions and add-ons, which also goes for the wiki. Users are encouraged to send in their recollections and memories of landmarks, persons or events in the area. The third service created within the frame of the project is an editing and digitising service at the library where the users can work on their own materials such as old photos and films, c-cassettes or other recordings. Publishing on the internet can be exciting but also a little scary when you do it for the first time. All the details do not stick in the memory right away as was the case with the 80-year old lady who couldn t remember how you saved your photos in the wiki. Being resourceful, she sent an with the photos attached to the wiki administrator with apologies for her poor learning skills. The feedback for all the services has been positive: This information cannot be found anywhere else. Small is beautiful and important, also in a global setting. need to categorize our lives strictly into work and leisure spheres? If so, where do we draw the line? While there are no one-size-fits-all answers to the questions, discussing the issues is a step forward. All the projects have resulted in new community partners, new users, new services and new forms of working with the public. The most unforgettable outcomes do not have to be larger than life: The moment when you felt you d created a relationship of trust with the group was a fantastic feeling. The same goes for the times when a non-user wanted to have a library card. It is not only about getting netted, instead, it is all about getting networked, with people. Getting Netted: One Click Away from the Knowledge Society: &cmd=download Spaces and Contents of the Information Society - Virtuaalipolku/Virtual Path: Häme Wiki: World Championship on Boletus picking in Kiihtelysvaara. Photo: Ulla Suhonen New way of doing things Some new questions were raised during these projects. How do we make work,projects and services meaningful for all involved? How can we best engage the users themselves? How do we find the groups and partners who would gain from the services? Do we Päivi Jokitalo Freelance Library Specialist pjokitalo@gmail.com SPLQ:

24 SCANDINAVIAN VIEWS Cross-border library services One of the best known Danish public library systems does not exist to serve Danish nationals. In fact, it is not even located in Denmark. The Danish Central Library for South Schleswig (DCLS), headquartered in Flensburg, Germany, exists to serve the informational and cultural needs of the approximately 50,000 ethnic Danes residing on the German side of the Danish-German frontier. The library is one of the world s best examples of how a national minority population can receive robust educational and cultural services about its ethnic homeland, while actively promoting civic engagement in its adopted country. Schleswig and Holstein (Danish: Slesvig-Holsten) are located at a strategic crossroads between continental Europe and Scandinavia. For this reason, there has long been considerable foreign interest in the area. For centuries, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were able to walk the line of having a loose political affiliation with the Danish crown, while conducting extensive trade with both Denmark and the German-speaking territories to the south. This changed in 1848 when the Danish king announced his intention to integrate Schleswig fully into the Kingdom and, thus, sever the historic cultural ties binding Schleswig with Holstein. This caused two wars in the area, the first of which was won by Denmark. A second war, in 1864, ended catastrophically for Denmark, as it lost all of Schleswig-Holstein to the German Federation. Following World War I, the Treaty of Versailles divided Schleswig into three zones, and residents went to the polls in each zone to vote to either reunite with Denmark or to remain part of Germany. Zone one, consisting of territory from the 1864 border to near the Flensburg Fjord, received nearly a 75 percent majority to reunite with Denmark. Voters in zones two and three expressed strong German majorities. In 1920, zone one was returned to Denmark, and the current border was finalized. During the ceremonies celebrating the transfer, both the Danish Prime Minister and King famously told the ethnic Danes living south of the border you will not be forgotten. Danish community leaders and government officials determined that an ideal way to demonstrate to the minority group that they were indeed remembered was to offer them social services similar to what was available to Danish citizens. Therefore, a comprehensive network of day-care centres, kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools, sports clubs, churches, health care centres, senior citizen centres, public libraries, cultural programming, and other services were organised to provide ethnic Danes with social, educational, recreational, and spiritual services. These services were funded by a number of agencies, including the Danish and German national governments, the German State of Schleswig-Holstein, and numerous charitable foundations. The DCLS operates similarly to its municipal public library counterparts in Denmark with main libraries, branches, and a whole host of services offered to patrons. DCLS has five locations situated throughout South Schleswig. The main library is centrally located in the downtown area of South Schleswig s largest city, Flensburg. Branch libraries are located in the cities of Schleswig and Eckernförde in western South Schleswig and Husum and Bredstedt in eastern South Schleswig. Typical public library services such as book and film circulation, reference assistance, computer and internet access, and meeting space are standard at DCLS. What makes this public library system so unique is the high level of civic engagement it has with its patrons. The library has a special responsibility to promote Danish and Nordic culture to its users. To that end, it schedules a wide spectrum of classes, workshops, study circles, and other educational opportunities which give participants rich opportunities to connect with, and relate to, their Danish and Nordic heritage. Hosting Danish language and cultural studies classes and making available a large collection of language instruction materials are essential library activities. While a system of approximately fifty Danish elementary and secondary schools serve children and help keep the Danish language vibrant in South Schleswig, the library s efforts focus on adult education. These lifelong learning opportunities fit well with the Nordic tradition of folkeoplysning,or popular enlightenment. Extensive Danish language and literature courses, taught at the library, contribute positively to building an enlightened, engaged national minority population. One of the most popular services offered by the DCLS is the bookmobile program. Two vehicles crisscross South Schleswig, making regular stops at dozens of schools, day-care and senior 24 SPLQ:4 2011

25 The DCLS provides an outstanding model for library systems around the world serving national minority populations Jeffrey W. Hancks the Danish minority in Germany. It has become a preeminent regional history collection, and it is used regularly by a wide range of researchers, from casual historians to school children to professional historians. The first-class research archive staffs a team of professional historians and archivists who collect manuscripts, photographs, posters, maps, films, and sound recordings documenting the Danish and Frisian minorities in South Schleswig. They also publish extensively. To date, the research department has released over eighty scholarly publications covering a broad range of topics important to telling the unique history of South Schleswig and its residents. citizen centres, and even at private homes to provide books and multimedia materials to residents. Colourful Danish and Nordic motifs are painted on the bookmobiles, and they are a highly visible sign of the DCLS s commitment to providing library services to ethnic Danes all throughout South Schleswig. Two of the library s best-known resources are its local history collection and research archive. The local history collection, named The Schleswig Collection, contains over 50,000 materials, including books, newspapers, and pamphlets documenting the history of all of Schleswig. It has a special mission to collect materials telling the story of The DCLS provides an outstanding model for library systems around the world serving national minority populations. DCLS s success is aided by an excellent funding model and a bi-national commitment to providing topnotch social services to the Danish minority. Librarians in other countries looking to provide informational services and language and cultural programming to their national minorities can gather inspiration from the depth and breadth of services offered to South Schleswig s ethnic Danes. Dr. Jeffrey W. Hancks Associate Professor, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois, USA. JL-Hancks@wiu.edu The author acknowledges his colleague, Linda R. Zellmer, Assistant Professor, Western Illinois University, for creating the map. SPLQ:

26 Scandinavian Shortcuts DENMARK From Sorø Library to the magical adventure land of Barda Boys aged 8-13 are the main audience for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation s program Barda. Barda is also a cooperation partner of Sorø Library. The new collaboration lets tween boys collect trading cards by reading books. Having read a book, the readers then upload a text, sound or video review on the website. The more books the boys read, the more trading cards they receive. Having collected all 28 cards, the participants then get a Barda book written specifically for the project. The book will later be made available for the public through purchasing. The trading cards collected also contain bonus material on Barda. The project runs until March 2012 and will be continued as a summer-reading initiative where the Danish children s library website Pallesgavebod.dk is being used as a platform. The project also acts as a springboard for arrangements at the library around the same themes. Roskilde Rock n roll Library It is a whole new scene: the RockLibrary at Roskilde, the home town of the largest North European rock festival, features a backstage area where you can enjoy music magazines and books. There are listening posts and posters with information and tips on music. Before the new Rock Museum opens in Roskilde, the RockLib will also function as a downtown museum satellite. And where there is a backstage area, there is also a scene where bands can perform. The library director emphasizes the importance of cooperation within the community of which the RockLib is a good example. To market the new library, a novel approach was called for. Another collaboration was established with Gimle, a local live music venue and instead of sending out a regular press release, the library together with Gimle sent out a flash-mob crew to the pedestrian street of Roskilde. The Rockmob started out as a lone air guitar player on the street and while more people gathered round him, a group of players appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The woweffect showed the library in a new light, not just a place for books but also for sound, music, films and different types of arrangements. The mini scene at the library offers tasters of Gimle s program of the night. The library also arranges treasure hunts where users look for concert tickets among the books and other materials and get to meet the performers for a chat. Danmarks biblioteker 5/2011 FINLAND Cycling4Libraries spin-off for users The Kyyti Library System in the region of Kymenlaakso organised a fivemonth cycling campaign as part of the larger Cycling For Libraries unconference earlier this year. While both staff and users got fit they also got to know the different libraries of the cooperative library system. The kick-off ride of 15 staff members meant the beginning of a cycling endeavour where library users collected stamps on their cycling passes. Every time a user had ridden their bike to three different libraries in the region or returned a pass full of stamps they entered a prize draw. The campaign was also a way to market the newly launched web site: all the additional information and the maps and directions to the different libraries could be found on the web. Kyyti-libraries website. The miracle of the library When Tampere City Library turned 150, they decided to celebrate the year together with the users all the way. One of the biggest efforts of the year was putting up a play written by the awardwinning former editor-in-chief of the Finnish Library Journal, Ritva Hokka- Ahti, who works at the library. The play was professionally directed with a cast from the student theatre and the library.the sold-out performances got good reviews. In the words of the library director, the aim of the celebrations was to have fun and act as a facelift in library marketing. One of the outcomes of the year is the publication My Library where local children tell how they want their library to work and look. Tampere City Library blog NORWAY A week of literature in Drammen Since 2003, the Drammen Library, Theatre and Cultural Centre together with the local bookshop have organised a literature festival spread over a whole 26 SPLQ:4 2011

27 Päivi Jokitalo Freelance Library Specialist week. Later on, Buskerud Regional Library, Drammen Cultural Service and Union Scene have joined the organisers. The event takes place week 42 every year with programs for every age group, literature buffs, poetry lovers, friends of fact and fiction. There are exhibitions, book release parties, theatre, literary guided walks, poetry slams and discussions on the philosophy of reading. Apart from the library and theatre premises, events take place in pubs and bookshops. If you enjoy the social surroundings of a pub, you can attend a literary quiz or an evening with discussions, readings and presentations in an informal setting with refreshments. Multiculture for breakfast For the second year in a row, adult students with immigrant background gathered for a breakfast meeting at the library. The 65 students represented 20 different nationalities and countries from Egypt to Eritrea to Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Brazil. While some of those present had only been in Norway for a few weeks, all were able to introduce themselves to the others. The library staff then told about the different library services and materials, presented the playroom with Play stations, the use of PCs and the services for children and families. As the breakfast meeting once again proved to be a success, it is meant to become a regular arrangement in Hokkby village. Eikernytt, the local web newspaper. Drammen Library: literature festival also with events for children SWEDEN Librarian in the daily news The national Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, Daily News in English, offers a question and answer column where a librarian solves the readers problems. The first of the columns explained from where and how the materials get to the library and what happens when the library gets rid of them. The column functions as library education as one of the first readers wanted to know how you interpreted the class notations of the library classification system. The Swedish Library Association Earphone dock on loan Libraries lend all kinds of materials and items from skies and hoolahoops to cake tins and dumbbells. The regional library of Götaland now lends out a dock for 40 sets of earphones. The dock is meant to be a new kind of mobile scene which makes it possible to share the same listening experience undisturbed by the surroundings, be it music, stories or other sounds, in places where it otherwise wouldn t be possible. The dock comes complete with pre-packaged contents on different themes. It can give access to new art forms and sound installations; it can be used in connection with author recitals, exhibitions and film screenings. And it is available without charge for a few hours or for a longer period, at the library. Framsidan.net - Kultur i Väst Regionbiblioteket Keep up with developments in the Nordic public libraries in Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly Volume 44, no. 4, 2011 SPLQ Ministry of Education and Culture P.O.Box 29 FI Government Finland Legally responsible publisher: Editor-in-chief Barbro Wigell-Ryynänen barbro.wigell-ryynanen@minedu.fi Ministry of Education and Culture Co-editors in Denmark, Norway and Sweden Jonna Holmgaard Larsen jhl@bibliotekogmedier.dk Danish Agency for Libraries and Media Tertit Knudsen tertit.knudsen@nb.no National Library of Norway Mats Hansson mats.hansson@kulturradet.se Swedish Arts Council Lay-out: Staehr Grafisk Staehr@staehrgrafisk.dk Print: C.S.Grafisk A/S ISSN Electronic ISSN: Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly (SPLQ) is published by the Nordic Public Library Authorities