L'e-lending bibliotecario: alcune note introduttive

Abstract

The paper offers an introduction to this issue of “Biblioteche oggi” and to the subject of digital lending. According to the definition of digital lending included in the IFLA e-lending background paper 2014 , digital lending is to be seen as “the temporary provision of an eBook by a library to a registered user for use away from the library premises and in the library should the user wish”. Although the IFLA definition only mentions e-books, it seems necessary to extend it to other kinds of digital content, such as music or video. The concept of “temporary provision” deserves a careful consideration, since the “temporary provision” of a digital content can be achieved in different ways: as simple download of a (possibly encrypted) content file, or through content streaming within a reading platform. Since in both cases it is possible to adopt different lending models, the landscape of digital lending is actually quite complex. Digital lending is usually an alternative to buying the digital content: therefore, a necessary feature of digital lending seems to be the existence of some limitations to the reader’s freedom. The “temporary” character of the lending is obviously itself one (and the most important) of such limitations, but it might not be the only one, especially in a context in which a possible alternative to digital lending is constituted by commercial subscription services. The relationship between digital lending as offered by libraries and commercial subscription services is of special relevance, and will probably constitute a highly debated and sensitive topic for libraries in the future.