UoG subject librarian to speak at e-books webinar

University College London and Copyright for Knowledge have issued an open invitation to the webinar ‘E-Books: Scandal or Market Economics’ on Monday 15 March 2021, 2pm to 3.30pm.

In 2020, Johanna Anderson, Subject Librarian at the University of Gloucestershire, launched a campaign requesting an investigation into the academic e-book market. An unprecedented 3,700+ people from across the sector signed the open letter and it received support from many professional bodies, eminent professors, and student unions.

The University of Gloucestershire is backing the campaign.

The ‘E-Books: Scandal or Market Economics’ webinar will examine the difficulties for Higher Education and public libraries caused by publishers’ pricing and licensing practices, and discuss possible solutions. The speakers will be:

• Dr Paul Ayris, Pro-Vice-Provost (University College London Library Services and Office for Open Science & Scholarship)

• Johanna Anderson, Subject Librarian, University of Gloucestershire and founder of the #eBookSoS campaign

• Benjamin White, Researcher, Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management, University of Bournemouth and Chair of the Copyright and Legal Working Group of the European Research Library Association

The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session.

Johanna Anderson said:

“This webinar is important for students who want to help us fight for fair information access and use of funding. It is important for academics as, ultimately it is their work being exploited and they need to be informed before choosing who to publish with, and it is important for Higher Education leaders as they have the responsibility to advocate for their staff and students and will be interested to hear about suggestions for collaborative ways forward that present exciting opportunities.

“Over 700 have signed up to the webinar to date, representing a very wide cross-section of interested parties. It is sure to be a lively event and has potential to be the start of a new way forward.”

The webinar is free but you should register in advance via Eventbrite.

Find out more about the campaign and how to add a signature on the #eBookSOS website.

NB: Copyright for Knowledge is a cross-sectoral body which aims to work with government at both a UK and European level to achieve a balanced copyright regime in Europe.