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Discussion: Steps Toward a Global Library – Copyright & Cross-Border Access

The National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket) invites you to a talk on the challenge of digitalisation faced by libraries around the world. How can we make the huge quantities of books from the 20th and 21st centuries accessible to all, and specifically to researchers, given the complexities of copyright?
Start date:
20 Apr 2023
Category:
At the Institut Suédois
Location
Institut suédois, Rue Payenne, Paris, France
Time
13:00 - 16:00
Photo of a library filled with books.
Photo Jann Lipka - www.imagebank.sweden.se

Libraries all over the world face the challenge of managing large amounts of 20th– and 21st-century textual materials that have not yet been digitised and made available to the public, in particular for research purposes, because of complex copyright regulations. These inaccessible works – often out-of-print, lacking reprints or facsimiles – slumber deep in library stacks, their content seemingly out of reach to students, researchers, the creative industries and the general public.

The EODOPEN* project focuses on identifying practical solutions by offering EOD (“Ebooks On Demand”) services that make these types of books accessible. Reinforcing the skills of library staff allows them to provide digital access to works in the collections while fully respecting the current copyright regime. This has to be done by implementing a secure digital infrastructure that guarantees protection against illegal exploitation and involves the rightsholders in close cooperation with librarians. Where libraries lack experience in rights clearance, EODOPEN aims to bring cultural heritage professionals up to date in the changing digital landscape by providing a forum for the development of best practices, which also address the complex question of digital access across borders. In this session we aim in particular to talk about how the needs of libraries and the interests of copyright management associations might align in collaboration pilots to provide a controlled community of researchers with access to protected works across European borders.

Guest speakers

  • Kate Parson, Kungliga biblioteket/National Library of Sweden
  • Jerker Rydén, Kungliga biblioteket/National Library of Sweden

 

*EODOPEN (2019-2024) is funded by the European Commission’s Creative Europe programme. The National Library of Sweden is one of 15 European national or research libraries from 11 countries participating in EODOPEN, and leads the project work on copyright issues.

Useful information

  • The discussion is in English.
  • Admission is free but please register here: Book your seat
  • You can also take part in the discussion via Zoom: click here.