Publishers & Libraries

The following section provides an overview of the current stance of the ‘Big 5’ publishers regarding eLending in public libraries. Previously referred to as the 'Big 6', the recent merger in July 2013 of Random House and Penguin has dramatically changed the publishing landscape.

The emergence of the digital publishing paradigm has created new opportunities for independent publishers.

The emergence of digital publications has democratised the process of publishing for aspiring authors.

With the rapid rise of self publishing there are opportunities for libraries to nurture the aspiring authors in the local community by providing writing workshops, and multimedia labs with the software and hardware required to create digital publications.

Library associations and professional organisations are actively creating policies and principals around the concept of eLending to ensure that libraries have equitable access to content.