[Pal-dc] WANTED: Library groups working with digital rights

[Stuart Hamilton]

Dear colleagues

On Tuesday night I was fortunate enough to have drinks and a chat with some Dutch library advocates from a group called OpenBibliotheken. Our talk covered a lot of the challenges facing libraries at the moment, and particularly focused on how libraries can become more involved with - and advocate for - digital freedom issues. We discussed not only how libraries can remain relevant in an age of withheld eBook sales, stricter copyright enforcement and changing user interests, but also how we can work with non-traditional partners to defend the public's right to access information in the face of an increasingly commodified environment.

I asked them to describe themselves, and this is what I received:

OpenBibliotheken is a independent Dutch grassroots initiative of two information professionals (Jeroen de Boer and Edwin Mijnsbergen) and hacker Jelle Akkerman, backed by Frank Huysmans (professor of Library Science) and Michel Wesseling (chairman Dutch Library Association NVB) and 200 signatories of a manifesto regarding public libraries and internetfreedom.

OpenBibliotheken believes it's essential for (public) libraries to take a stand against regulations that challenge netneutrality, copyright reform and freedom of information if we want to play in role in the digital age.

OpenBibliotheken therefore wants to provide access to all digital public domain material worldwide and create a framework and/or technology to make sure this material will always be accessible for free (Public Domain Commons), even in times of copyright extension or other legal limitations.


I want to know if there are more groups out there in the international library community with these values and objectives. Which library advocates are partnering with hackers, or the maker community? Who is working with digital rights groups? Who are the professionals - and non-professionals - who have the brightest and best ideas about creating new alliances?

Please contact me off-list if you are in one of these groups, or know one of these groups, or are even interested to be informed about what I find out. Any information is appreciated (it doesn't have to be in English), and I will begin mapping what I discover. If someone else is already doing this, let me know as well!

Please also spread this message through your networks - this would really help.

I will present my findings back to the list at an appropriate time.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Stuart


Director of Policy and Advocacy
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
IFLA Headquarters
The Hague
Netherlands

00 31 70 314 0884
@iflaspa
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