DCMS consultation on e-lending in libraries

The DCMS is currently conducting a consultation on the topic of e-learning in libraries. It would be useful to make a submission to this. The closing date for responses is 5pm on Tuesday 6 November, so there isn't much time. They are asking for views on six themes, listed below. Please do feel free to contribute and help to shape our response. Thank you. --Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 13:58, 5 November 2012 (UTC)

If contributions could be made and a final response reached by 3.30pm on Tuesday 6 November that allows us time to make a final submission. Thanks. --Stevie Benton (WMUK) (talk) 14:01, 5 November 2012 (UTC)

The panel are considering the following areas, and welcome submissions from any interested parties:

1. The benefits of e-lending

Wikipedia is possibly the most read "book" on the internet with about 400 million users per month. The Charity Commission accepted that Wikimedia UK representa modern version of a library or reading room. The community who create the encyclopedia would not consider e-lending Wikipedia. We believe information should be freely available and the idea that it will be "taken back" implies that the information was not freely given. In our case we do not charge and there is no clear owner of he information. Allowing users to borrow our information would be a retrograde step. [what?? Cut all this! JB]

e-lending appears to impose a superseded business model onto a new technology which doesn't support this concept.

2. The current level and nature of demand

The current level and nature of demand for e-lending in English libraries, along with a projection of future demand. For example, will e-lending be in addition to traditional borrowing of print books, or is it likely to transform the way in which library users access services? What is the demand for downloading e-books remotely, that is, away from library premises? To what extent do owners of e-readers value public e-lending above what is freely or commercially available elsewhere?

3. Current supply models

Current supply models, barriers to the supply of e-books to libraries, and likely future trends

4. Systems for remunerating authors / publishers for e-lending

Wikipedia's model means that the traditional role of the publisher is mostly superseded. If you want to create a paper copy of Wikipedia then any user can do this. We do not charge for publication and our quality levels are initially quite low. One role of the publisher however is still necessary. Publishers create a mark of quality. Our community still sorts through articles and decides on a level of quality for articles in our "book".

The barriers to publication are very low. We do not remunerate our authors or our publishers and this model works. The existence of Wikipedia shows that a lot of traditional information models no longer apply. If we were to imagine that we would reward our authors then the system required would be more complex than our encyclopedia. Authors create sentences that others modify, delete and add to. We would not know how to divide any remuneration to our author even if was available and they were willing to take it.

5. The impact of e-lending on publishers and their business models

Why would authors use publishers and their business models? Authors are primarily driven by the need to get their ideas to their readers. The authors and the readers are the important players in the market. The first requirement is to decide if the word "publisher" should be re-defined or superseded. Under its literal meaning we are today all publishers and we do not need a business model to make that happen.

6. Any unforeseen consequences

Any unforeseen consequences of e-lending. For example, the impact on those who cannot keep up with technology, the likely long-term impact on the model of highly localised physical library premises, skills requirements for librarians, etc

information starvation and malnutrition

The emerging business models mean that information is freely available. A lot of the world is disenfranchised from the supply of information. Facebook has about a billion users and Wikipedia has about half that. This is a small but growing portion of the human population. e-lending may require that we lock information so that we can deny access to those who haven't paid. The poorest countries in the world will always find that they cannot access, or even borrow, the latest information if we create charging models that do not recognise their inequality.