Lessons from Greece
Libraries across Europe are at the forefront of the digital revolution, striving to provide seamless access to knowledge in an increasingly digital world. However, not all countries face the same opportunities and challenges. A new report, funded by Knowledge Rights 21 (KR21), sheds light on the e-book landscape in Greece, revealing key barriers that hinder digital lending and highlighting opportunities for change. Greece’s experience serves as an important case study for other nations working to modernize their e-lending policies.
The State of E-Books in Greek Libraries
Despite the growing importance of digital access, Greek public libraries continue to struggle with e-books due to a combination of legal, economic, and infrastructural challenges. The findings of the KR21-funded report point to four major issues:
Key Challenges in Greece’s E-Book Landscape
- Limited access to e-books
Greek public libraries face significant obstacles in offering e-books to readers. Restrictive licensing agreements, high costs, and the absence of a unified national infrastructure limit the availability of digital titles, making it difficult for libraries to provide the same level of service as those in other European countries.
- Legal uncertainty and copyright barriers
Although a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has equated e-lending with traditional book lending, Greece has yet to establish a clear legal framework that supports fair and widespread e-book access for libraries. This legal gap leaves institutions in a grey area, unable to fully embrace digital lending.
- Underdeveloped e-book offer
The Greek e-book market remains small, with limited publisher participation and a lack of digital titles. This restricts the selection available to readers and hampers efforts to expand e-lending programs. Without active engagement from publishers, libraries struggle to build comprehensive digital collections.
- Library readiness and digital hesitancy
Many library administrators remain hesitant to adopt digital lending due to budget constraints, infrastructure gaps, and a perceived lack of demand. Without sufficient support for digital transformation, libraries risk falling further behind in the shift to digital knowledge access.
Opportunities for Progress: A Roadmap for Change
Despite these challenges, Greece—and other nations facing similar issues—has a real opportunity to reshape the future of e-books in libraries. The report outlines several key strategies to overcome barriers and enhance digital lending:
- Developing a national e-book platform
A centralised digital library system could streamline e-book access for public and academic libraries, reducing costs and ensuring equitable availability across the country.
- Reforming digital lending policies
Aligning national copyright laws with EU principles is essential to creating a fair e-lending environment. Libraries must be granted the right to own and lend digital books under reasonable terms, similar to physical books.
- Strengthening publisher-library partnerships
Collaboration between publishers and libraries can drive innovation in e-lending models. By working together, these stakeholders can expand digital collections, improve licensing terms, promote sustainable access to e-books, and in doing so build e-reading habits in the population.
- Support for digital literacy and infrastructure
Training programmes for both librarians and readers can bridge the knowledge gap and encourage wider adoption of e-books. Additionally, investment in digital infrastructure is crucial to ensuring libraries can effectively deliver e-lending services.
Lessons for Other Countries: A Model for the Future?
While Greece lags behind in e-book adoption, its experience serves as both a warning and an inspiration for other European nations. The report underscores the need for legal clarity, infrastructure investment, and cultural adaptation to make digital books accessible to all.
As KR21 continues advocating for modern, fair, and sustainable e-lending policies across Europe, the lessons from Greece highlight the urgent need for action. Ensuring the future of public knowledge access requires governments, libraries, and publishers to work together to remove barriers and embrace digital lending as a fundamental part of the library system.
Join the Movement for Digital Library Rights!
To learn more about the state of e-books in Greek libraries and how these challenges can be addressed, read the full report and support the push for equitable access to digital knowledge.
4 April 2025
