IN FOR e-BOOKS IN THE PORTUGUESE PUBLIC LIBRARIES NETWORK NAPLE Assembly 2013 Good afternoon to everyone, The title of my first slide summarizes the portuguese situation about e-books in public libraries – they simply do not exist Margarida Oleiro

THE PORTUGUESE PUBLIC LIBRARIES NETWORK (RNBP) Portugal 308 local councils RNBP 194 central libraries 168 branches 50 mobile libraries Portugal has three hundred and eight local councils. We do not have – in the mainland – regions. In the last twenty five years, one hundred and ninety four, local councils, were technical and finantial supported by central government – for which I work for – for the creation of a public library Margarida Oleiro

RNBP COLLECTION Books e- books 119 Valid answers/ answer rate: 63% e- books 166 Valid answers/ answer rate: 88% Source: DGLAB statistical data (2011) Total Aver./per lib. Minimum Maximum 5 521 739 46 401 4 797 338 236 Total Aver./per lib. Minimum Maximum 115 0,69 82 According to our annual survey to the Network public libraries, in two thousand and eleven, there were a total of five and a half million books. Only a hundred and fifteen were e-books Margarida Oleiro

RNBP ACQUISITIONS (2011) Books 121 Valid answers/ answer rate: 64% e- books 150 Valid answers/ answer rate: 80% Source: DGLAB statistical data (2011) Total Aver./per lib. Minimum Maximum 144 750 1 196 15 426 Total Aver./per lib. Minimum Maximum 84 0,56 82 In two tousand eleven, one hundred and forty-five thousand, new books were added to the collections. However, only eigthy four were e-books and eigthy two belong to a single librarie. Margarida Oleiro

Main issues (1) No political agenda concerning libraries and digital resources: Born digital (e-books) Digitised (Google Books, etc.) The new business model No legal or finantial support from central government No finantial support to digital libraries collection Legal questions concerning royalties or public lending are not clear What are the main causes for this situation? There isn´t a political agenda concerning public libraries including digital resources Unknowledge about the new business model No legal and finantial support to digital libraries collection Margarida Oleiro

Main issues (2) Offer from portuguese publishers: Still limited Market is targeted to individual readers Market is targeted to Brazil ( Brazil population 196.665.014/Portuguese population 10. 562.178) Publishers lobby is stronger than the librarian lobby Offer from portuguese publishers is still limited They are mainly interested in individual readers specially in the brazilian market Publishers lobby is stronger than the librarian one Margarida Oleiro

Main issues (3) Libraries: Do not have technological infrastructure Staff do not have the necessary skills Local councils are reducing costs Collections are not renewed There is no support from central government Libraries are no longer on the political agenda Libraries do not have the resources and skills needed to deal with digital collections. Local councils are reducing costs Central government do not invest in public libraries Public libraries are no longer on the political agenda Margarida Oleiro

Th@nk you ! margarida.oleiro@dglab.gov.pt Margarida Oleiro