Novas políticas referentes às bibliotecas públicas na Holanda (a serem aprovadas em breve)
Não deixa de ser interessante saber como o estado holandês vê o papel das bibliotecas na sociedade
NEW
LIBRARY LAW
Dutch Parliament recently adopted a new public library law: the
"Wet stelsel openbare bibliotheken” (Wsob). The new law stems from the
need to:
·
Tailor the current legal framework for public libraries to the digital
age
The new law defines a.o. the scope
of the digital library and arranges its funding.
·
Integrate the public library system with the services of the Dutch Royal
Library (KB)
The KB will be co-ordinating the new
system that will be more efficient, cost effective and user friendly. The allocation
of funds to the KB by the minister of Education, Culture and Science will be
based on an overall strategic 4-years plan, to be specified on a yearly
bases.
·
Define the core functions of public libraries
According to the new law public
libraries should give the general public access to information and culture,
guided by principles such as independence, credibility, accessibility,
pluralism and authenticity. Their concrete tasks are:
- to make available knowledge and
information;
- to facilitate learning;
- to promote reading and a taste for
literature;
- to promote art and culture;
- to organize social encounters and
debate.
·
Improve the coherence of the decentralized system
The law defines the roles of the
various players within the national network.
If adopted by the Dutch Senate in the fall of 2014, the new law will be
implemented on the 1st of January 2015.
NEW
DIGITAL LIBRARY
The process of modernization and digitization of the Dutch public
libraries started in the late 90’s. To streamline and co-ordinate this process
the Dutch public libraries set up the foundation ‘Bibliotheek.nl’ (B.nl) at the
end of 2009.
B.nl is building a digital infrastructure to create one Dutch national
digital library by connecting all (digital systems of the) Dutch public
libraries. The central digital infrastructure hosts ICT applications for all
the libraries throughout the country, enabling them to operate in a more
efficient way. In addition the digital library will offer e-books,
audiobooks, e-music, databanks, articles and content for education, all
accessible by the same catalogue.
If the new law is adopted by the Dutch Senate in the fall of 2014, BNL
and the infrastructure will be integrated in the KB as from the 1st
of January 2015.
Whereas the infrastructure is financed by Dutch government (€18 mln),
content is paid by the public libraries by means of a centralized funding
model.
NEW E-BOOK PORTAL
In January 2014 the Dutch minister of Education, Culture and Science
launched an e-book portal. Currently 5,500 titles are available (25% of all
Dutch e-book titles published) and all libraries as well as 117 publishers are
participating (including two largest groups). The portal also features a Hall
of Fame with prominent Dutch literature, a Holiday app and a Listen app for
audiobooks.
Although some elements of the business model are to be defined, several
services are already offered for free, also for non-patrons. May 2014
cumulative e-lending amounted to 147.748.
Business model
·
Prices
paid by users: to be defined in spring 2015.
·
Fees
paid to publishers/authors:
- books < 1 year old (head): to be
defined in spring 2015.
- books 1-3 years old (shoulder): €
0,36
- books 3+ years old (long tail): €
0,24 -> € 0,12
NEW
RESEARCH
Recently the Dutch minister of Education, Culture and Science
commissioned a study on the legal and economic aspects of e-lending by public
libraries.
The central question of this study
is whether e-lending by public libraries is covered by the
existing public lending right regime
of the Dutch Copyright Act (‘Auteurswet’), and whether the
European copyright framework leaves
enough space for a copyright limitation or exception at the
national level.
The economic part of the study
examines to what extent e-lending by libraries will compete with
rental and sales of e-books by
commercial players.
The report has an English Summary.
