Martin Taylor discusses the role of libraries in the future digital world from a publisher's perspective. He argues that libraries could support the development of digital reading and the local publishing industry in New Zealand by lending ebooks. Lending ebooks may generate recurring income and reduce piracy. While there are copyright issues to address, libraries and publishers share an interest in a strong local content industry and should work together to find solutions in the emerging digital landscape.

1. What Role Do Libraries Have
in the Future Digital World
A Publisher’s Perspective
Martin Taylor
Future of the Book Conference
25 June 2009

2. Public (Lending) Libraries
• Funded by rates
• 73 local authorities
• $200M+ cost – as big as the book
publishing industry
• 50 million items borrowed
• A critical sector to work closely with

3. What role could libraries play?
• Good: To support the development of
digital reading in New Zealand
• Better: To support the publishing industry
in developing digital reading in New
Zealand
• Best: To support the local publishing
industry in developing digital reading in
New Zealand

4. Should we lend ebooks?
• It’s a great opportunity for publishers,
authors and readers
• Potential for recurring income
• Earn income from pass-along readers
– Income from groups who might not buy
• Lower cost option should reduce piracy
and speed adoption of ebook readers
• Cross-promotions generate paid sales

5. Will lending ebooks work?
• Copyright and contract issues.
• DRM probably needed to enforce terms
• Parallels
– Video rental
– Circulating libraries in the 18th and 19th
centuries

6. Should libraries lend ebooks?
• Can a free (or heavily subsidised) lending model
co-exist with commercial model?
• Can libraries do a better job than commercial
operators growing the digital market
• Could libraries operate on a fully commercial
basis?
– Would the public accept this?
• Could libraries subsidise access rather than
content?
– Arguably a bigger equity issue

7. Creating a robust local industry
• A robust local (e)publishing industry could
be a core mission of libraries for the 21st
century
– Local content 50% of NZ market today, let’s
not shrink this
– Libraries have led in offshore sourcing
• This weakens the local industry
– Could this change in the emerging digital
world?

8. Libraries and the NZ Publishing
Industry
• Huge potential to help
– A deeply-held, shared interest in a strong
local content industry is essential
– Openness by both parties to fresh
approaches
• Let’s talk!
– Formally, and for the long term
– Need to work together to find solutions

9. Martin Taylor
Director
Digital Publishing Forum
http://digitalpublishing.org.nz
martin@digitalpublishing.org.nz
Blog: http://activitypress.com/ereport
Twitter: http://twitter/nztaylor
Linked-In: http://linkedin.com/in/martintaylornz