CILIP and library associations from 16 countries have come together to issue a pan-European statement highlighting the changes needed to correct the unfair and unbalanced situation libraries and their patrons face around eBooks.

The signatories call for government action in the following three areas:

1. Legal guarantees that libraries can acquire, preserve and electronically lend digitised analogue and born-digital works, such as eBooks, on the same basis as they lend physical works.
2. Work to ensure that eLending platforms operate in ways that work best for libraries, their users and authors.
3. Support further investigation into the dynamics of eBook markets and their impacts on the achievement of public interest goals. This will also serve to inform wider cultural, education and research policies.

CILIP CEO Nick Poole said:

"This statement is an important collective step in making policymakers aware of the significant challenges libraries face simply in fulfilling their core educational purpose. We will work with policymakers across the UK as well as our colleagues at Knowledge Rights 21 and the eBookSOS campaign to continue to make this case.”

Read the full Statement