A Public-Private E-book Platform :

BF/IBF Annual Conference, June 18th 2010ohan Delauré, program manager Bibnet

Threats and opportunities in the digitalization of the reading culture

Summary

1. Is e-reading relevant?

2. Why a governement initiative?

3. The USP of the library

4. Realization

1. Is e-reading relevant?

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Education

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Reading…

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Multimedia reading : devices

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Multimedia reading: content and applications

Playlane’s moving books

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Multimedia reading: Digital magazines

• www.flashpageflip.com

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Multimedia reading

• "It's not about the page versus the screen in a technological grudge match. It's about the screen doing a dozen things the page can't do.” (Print Is Dead: Books in Our Digital Age; Gomez, Jeff; 2007).

• “ The vook” (Bradley Inman):

a multimedia hybrid

digital amalgam

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And then what about our libraries?

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And then what about our bookshops?

.

The value chain shifts digital

-> Collection becomes digital-> Access becomes online-> Medium becomes mult imedia(However: the old book will stay also. )

-> people deal differently with information-> Google, Facebook, Twitter, mobile internet,

gaming=> “Reading” => “Digital Reading”

-> media are converging-> implosion off music market; crisis at

newspapers=> “Publishing”=> “Digital Publishing”

.

Challenges and threats…

2. Why a governement initiative?

How it started…

The confederation of the Flemish Publishers Association (Vlaamse uitgevers Vereniging), the united book importers (Verenigde Boekenimporteurs) and the Flemish Booksellers Association (Vlaamse Boekverkopersbond)

Consulting…

Some references

Studie Vlaams e-boekplatform voor opslag en exploitatie in opdracht van Bibnet - IBBT/SMIT – 2009http://www.slideshare.net/VVBAD/braeckman-jan-ppt

eBooks via de bibliotheek – TNO – 2010http://www.stichtingbibliotheek.nl/Nieuws-TNOrapport%20e-books.htm

Brave New World, Digitisation of Content: the opportunities for booksellers and The Booksellers Association – 2006http://http://www.booksellers.org.uk/Industry-Info/Industry-Reports/Book-Industry-General/E-Books.aspx

Rapport sur le livre numérique - Ministere de la culture et de la ̀communication – République Française – 2008http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/actualites/conferen/albanel/rapportpatino.pdf

Report on business models, Arrow, eContentplus - 2009No digital reference found

Etude en vue de l’élaboration d’un modèle économique de participation des éditeurs à la bibliothèque numérique européenne (Europeana), D. Zwirn – 2007EUROPEANA-NUMILOG2007.pdf

And more…

Purpose of public libraries

IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions – 1999 Den Hague – (http://archive.ifla.org/faife/policy/iflastat/iflastat_nl.htm) affirms:

Libraries provide access to information, ideas and works of imagination. They serve as gateways to knowledge, thought and culture.

Libraries provide essential support for lifelong learning, independent decision-making and cultural development for both individuals and groups.

Libraries contribute to the development and maintenance of intellectual freedom and help to safeguard basic democratic values and universal civil rights.

Relevance of reading for policy

Joint declaration by the European Booksellers Federation (EBF) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP)) (Brussels, 5 October 2009:

Reading plays a crucial part in the knowledge society and, as a consequence, in disseminating culture and enhancing competitiveness and employment; governments should therefore pledge to support all stakeholders of the book sector through adequate cultural, fiscal and industrial policies.

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The value chain evolves

Hier staat de titel• Short term• Other players will make the rules• Larger editors will take fragmented initiatives• Small editors will miss the train

• Long term• Bookshop retraits to the niche of the physical

book• International players will determine the

information- and culture consumption• Libraries will quench• Government offside

If we don’t do anything

Hier staat de titelThe Flemish platform centralizes storage and facilitates the exploitation of the digital book production.

A Flemish platform

3. Why libraries?

The collection

• Divers, broad

• For ALL ages

• Independent

• “Life from A to Z”

• Selected quality

• Longer term

Access

Immediate in function of education, development

To taste and develop taste

Low threshold

Organized

Ordered, classified, arranged, thematic, 360°

Portal, mash up

Reinventing the library

Assuring for the digital publications:-Broad Flemish collection-Availability for thematic mash-ups-Non-commercial services on full text, etc..-Availibility for temporary loan

⇒Infrastructure

A new business model

Which business model could be acceptable both to the financial bearing of the public libraries and the expectancies of publishers en authors?

Can we relate the business model to the democratic role of the public library and the added value of the bookshop?

4. Realization

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E-boek platform

• Develop a digital platform in a public-private collaboration, for the secure and long term storage of digital born editions in function of their pluriform exploitation by the different actors in the book ecosystem:• Authors, publishers, distributors, commerce, library,

aggregators… and readers

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Collaboration

Public Libraries Publishers, distributors

Vlaams e-boek platform

FacilitatingNeutrality

ContentDiversity

Digital access Digital sales

Bibnet Boek.be

What is the cost? What is the return ?

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www.innovatiefaanbesteden.be

Innovative Procurement

“The governement buys innovation”Timing:

2009 concept2010 partners2010-2011 prototype2011-2012: procurement and production

Functioneel…

Lange termijn opslag

(extern)

E-boek formats

Normalisatie

Beveiligde opslag

Transcodatie

API’sFull Text

Indexering

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Metadata

WP3 WP2

WP5

WP4

WP1

Vep functional architecture schema

E-boek platformis niet:…

- Digitizing

+ Digital born content

-web shop

+ facilitating distribution

- e-reader

+ facilitating content

Vep is not:

E-boek platformIs niet …

- An island

+ embedded serviceplatform

- digital depot

+ facilitating heritage of tomorrow

- piracy

+ controlled access

And Vep is not:

E-boek platform

uitdagingen….• Business modelling and rights• Storage protocol for multimedia: PDF,

mobi, ePUB, XML,…• Open technology for integrating browsing

full text search, in other environments• Access and security• Keeping up with evolution

Innovation Chalenges

• Facilitating business modelling;• Facilitating Flemisch e-book;• Streamlining distribution;• Streamlining in function of “heritage of

tomorrow”;• Economies of scale in providing an infrastructuur• Warranting non-commercial services as browsing,

metadata, full text search

Aims of the innovation platform

B2B…

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Timing

?