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Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies

Part2:Country studies

The Netherlands

Publishers’involvement

The book publishers (KNUB) and libraries for the blind have cooperated since 1984.

Arrangements have been in place since 1985 between the Royal Dutch Publishers Association (Koninklijke Nederlandse Uitgeversbond, KNUB), on the one hand, and the Libraries for the Blind, on the other hand, regarding the preparation and/or provision by the latter institutions of books in Braille and recorded books containing general reading matter intended for those with a print impairment who are registered with the aforementioned institutions.
As for the magazines and newspapers, Libraries for the Blind and publishers collaborated on an individual basis.
Since 1996, the NUV has united publishers of books, magazines and newspapers. The Dutch Publishers Association (Nederlands Uitgeversverbond, NUV), has its registered office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. More than 90% of the turnover of publishing activities in the Netherlands is represented by the NUV

In 2000 the agreement between NUV and Dedicon (then FNB) was signed.

The background was that ‘spoken book-cassettes’ were considered to be a growing, commercially interesting market, especially in the United States of America.

Publishers wanted to help but also keep an eye on the market.

The principles underlying the agreement are:

those with a print impairment depend on the mediation provided by Libraries for the Blind, which not only have a circulation function, but also a productive or reproductive function;
users registered with Libraries for the Blind form a ‘closed system’, in which it is not easy to participate for people without a print impairment;
the chances of abuse are minimal;

Mutual confidence is essential.

Some important points in the agreement:

Documents in Braille

Dedicon may convert publications or parts of publications into documents in Braille, without notifying the publisher in question.

School- and study materials

Dedicon may convert school and study materials into all alternative formats, without notifying the publisher in question.

Recorded books, newspapers and magazines

Dedicon must notify the publisher in writing of its intention to prepare a recorded book. The publisher may withhold its permission in exceptional cases only or allow this subject to conditions in exceptional cases only.

In the event that the publisher fails to notify on time of its refusal or of any further terms and conditions, the Dedicon will have permission to prepare a recorded version of the relevant publication and make it available to the users registered with Dedicon.

Digital documents

The same rules as for recorded materials. NUV recommends publishers to deliver digital source files for free to Dedicon.

The agreement stresses the need for protection.

Dedicon distributes the digital documents through closed distribution channels
Dedicon takes technical protection measures (The documents are encrypted and can be read only with a special XML reading software.
Copy limitation defines the percentage of text which is allowed to be copied.)

The market:

The NUV needs to know what is going on in the market. Dedicon gives an annual survey of its production:

The number of:

users registered with the Libraries for the Blind,
of recently produced titles,
of copies produced,
of loans of recorded books to individual users
of sales of recorded books to public libraries.
The size of the total collection of recorded documents, subdivided into number of copies and titles.

Compensation

Dedicon offers the publisher a fair compensation. The standard rate will amount to EUR 25 per title. This amount will be charged regardless of the number of copies.

Sale to public libraries

Dedicon is allowed to sell the recorded books to the public libraries. Permission to sell and rent out (the recorded books) must be sought by means of a standard form. Dedicon offers fair compensation of EUR 4 for each recorded book title supplied to the public library.

Dutch legislation, the consequences for the agreement NUV-Dedicon. Publishers’ interests

Dutch copyright legislation changed in September 2004 because of a European directive, as referred to above. It was the biggest modification since 1912.

People with a disability have an exception to the rights of the copyright owner: for the accessibility of content for disabled people, the permission of the publisher is no longer needed if:

the conversion is exclusively for people with a disability;
the conversion of content is directly connected with the disability;
the conversion of content is not commercial;
The copyright owner gets a fair compensation;
the conversion of content is necessary because of the disability.

The situation therefore changed in principle, but in practice, it stayed the same.

Publishers cooperate, a new pilot will be launched;
Dedicon was already allowed to convert content unless the publisher did not permit the conversion afterwards;
Because of Dedicon-registration and Daisy there’s a ‘closed system’;
Because of the use of Daisy-protection, the chances of abuse are minimal;
The legal terms give publishers enough possibilities to create their own market and take action against the conversion of content;
Dedicon will continue its annual production survey;
In addition to the possibility to sell audio books to the Publi libraries, Dedicon is allowed to sell its audio books to libraries for the blind abroad. Exchange between Dutch and Flemish libraries for the blind is possible, double productions are avoided. Dutch expatriates with a print impairment in Canada, New Zealand and Australia can read in their mother tongue.

NUV, Dedicon and EUAIN, the future

Raise awareness about accessibility issues
Explore possibilities for strategic co-operation between publishers and libraries for the blind
Model for agreement for co-operation between publishers and libraries for the blind
Create trusted intermediaries to enable international exchange of accessible materials
Jointly tackle copy right issues and protection
Initiate research and development to improve the production of accessible information and to make this available to publishers and libraries for the blind
Co-operate on emerging issues like the accessibility of multimedia publications

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