New project to digitise, lend and sell out-of-print Australian titles

The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) is working with the University of Melbourne and Australian public libraries on a pilot project ‘to breathe new life into important out-of-print Australian books by digitising them, licensing them into public libraries for digital lending, and making them available for sale as ebooks’.

In a statement, the ASA said titles would be selected in a process that would involve library collections experts, with the project’s limited funding covering all digitisation costs and authors whose works are selected receiving royalties from libraries on loans, as well as royalties on any retail sales.

‘Libraries around Australia will promote the titles to their readers, raising awareness of these books to new generations,’ said the ASA.

The research team at the University of Melbourne will also be conducting research ‘that seeks to better understand the value of out-of-print books, library promotion activities, and the relationship between library lending and sales’.

The ASA said the project was looking for culturally significant Australian books that have gone out of print and for which rights have reverted or are entitled to revert to the author. ‘We are looking to select titles from a diverse range of authors, geographically spread around the country, and covering all publication dates.’

Expressions of interest are due for the project by 1 September 2020. See the ASA website for further details.

Tags: digitisationlibrariesresearch

Category: Local news