ELibrary

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Divibib GmbH from Reutlingen has been offering a service for online lending of digital media under the Onleihe brand since 2007 . Individual and group libraries from Germany , Austria , Switzerland , Italy , Liechtenstein , Denmark , Belgium and France as well as the international Goethe Institutes take part. Users of a participating library can borrow the provided digital media through their library's website using their library card.

With the Onleihe app, eBooks , eMagazines, ePaper , eAudios and eMusic can be researched, borrowed and used in the integrated reader or integrated media player on Android or iOS smartphones and tablets . In addition, there is a version of the online loan that has been specially adapted to the greyscale display of e-readers, with which the service can be used more quickly on mobile readers. With the “eCircle”, there is now a special presentation device or “kiosk system” that can be used to research and borrow directly in the online library.

The term “Onleihe” is a suitcase word made up of “online” and “Loan”. In May 2007, divibib GmbH attempted to register the word mark “Onleihe - Bibliothek digital” with the German Patent and Trademark Office , but at the time it was rejected on the grounds that this was “not possible”. In June 2008 the application was then successful. The online loan is now even listed in the dictionary.

function

Regardless of opening times and location, e-books , e-videos , e-audios, e-magazines, e-papers and e-music can be downloaded and transferred to end devices with the library user card after legitimation . A temporal control of the loan period is carried out by the digital rights management (DRM). After the loan period has expired, the e-media file can no longer be used. Accordingly, there are no late fees. If a title has not already been reserved by other users, it can be borrowed again as often as required. The respective library sets the loan periods individually.

Technical requirements

Depending on the licensing model of the participating libraries, the e-book, e-paper (daily and weekly newspapers, specialist journals), e-audio (audio books), e-video (documentaries, instructional videos, feature films), e-video Music and e-learning (online courses) are offered.

A constantly updated overview of "what's going on where" can be found on the help pages of all online loans.

E-books and e-papers

E-paper media are usually available as PDF , e-books primarily as EPUB , but occasionally also as PDF . Both e-book and e-paper media can be accessed on

  • PCs (Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7/8/10 / Apple Mac OS-X or Linux) with Adobe Acrobat Reader from 8.x ( PDF ) or Adobe Digital Editions from 2.0 ( EPUB ), as well as compatible software
  • Smartphones and tablets ( iOS from 9.0, Android from 4.4) with the Onleihe app and the Bluefire Reader app as well as on
  • E-book readers that support the EPUB DRM format (Cbook, Icarus, Imco, Kobo, Onyx, Pocketbook , Tolino )

to be read. Supported Microsoft Windows from Windows 2000 . Under Mac OS X , DRM-protected PDF files can also be viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader . EPUB files can be used on both platforms with Adobe Digital Editions ; under Windows it is also possible to transfer them to some e-book readers and read them in this way.

E-audio (audio books) and e-music

E-audio media from the online library can be played with the following devices:

  • Smartphones and tablets (iOS from 9.0, Android from 4.4) with the Onleihe app as a download or in streaming mode, which requires a continuous internet connection.
  • PCs with Windows, Apple and (depending on the browser) Linux system only with streaming function. There is a constantly updated compatibility list for streaming on the online help pages.

E-video

Online e-video media is only available in streaming. As with e-audios, the compatibility here also depends on the operating system and browser.

E-learning

Online learning courses can be “borrowed” from the online lending facility. Afterwards, the users are redirected to the original platforms of the course providers, where they can conduct the lessons.

History and company

The first public library to offer an online lending service was the Public Library in the New York borough of Brooklyn in 2005. In the United States , OverDrive had specialized in the distribution of virtual media since 1986, particularly to libraries. In 2006, New York had more online borrowings than printed book borrowings. This model is considered to be a model for the online loan.

The online loan is operated by divibib GmbH from Reutlingen. The company name is an abbreviation for "Digital Virtual Libraries". The company is now 100 percent owned by ekz.bibliotheksservice GmbH from Reutlingen . The ekz-Unternehmensgruppe GmbH had a turnover of 58 million EUR in the 2016 financial year and employed 279 people. The second partner until the end of 2014 was Holger Behrens, who founded divibib GmbH together with ekz.bibliotheksservice in July 2005. He was also the company's managing director until May 2010. Ekz.bibliotheksservice GmbH has been the sole shareholder of divibib GmbH since January 2015.

The declared goal of divibib GmbH was to win back "the Google generation for public libraries". The aim was to "oppose something to Amazon" and to open up new users for the libraries. Younger users in particular expected online content from a library.

The service was tested for the first time in 2007 as part of a pilot project in Hamburg , Cologne , Munich and Würzburg . The online library is also used by library networks. In 2008, 18 libraries took part and the service was offered for the first time in Switzerland. In 2010, more than a million loans were made, in 2011 there were 1.7 million downloads, not including the e-papers offered by the daily and weekly newspapers. In December 2011, around 350 and thus ten percent of all public libraries used the online library. At the beginning of 2014, “800 libraries from Germany with 120,000 titles” took part in the online loan, including 30 libraries in Brandenburg. In 2017 (as of August 2017) over 3,000 libraries took part.

Some of the public libraries form regional associations through which they participate in online lending. There are also individual loans.

In the online lending environment, there are more and more offers that enable the use of e-books for a monthly flat fee, for example from Amazon or Skoobe. The online loan, on the other hand, is usually provided by the libraries for their users at no additional charge. The expenses incurred in this regard are included in the library's budget for purchases.

Offer and user behavior

According to its own information, divibib GmbH currently provides 433,000 media from more than 6,400 publishers for over 3,000 libraries. Since the start of the online loan with around 10,000 titles in 2007, the real inventory in German libraries alone has grown to more than 3.2 million copies in mid-2017. However, only a part of this is available in the regional eLibrary networks. At the end of 2015, the members of the 46 libraries involved in the Rhineland-Palatinate online library were able to access around 31,000 e-media. The use of the Rhineland-Palatinate online loan, which has existed since 2010, is increasing continuously. Whereas in 2014 readers in Rhineland-Palatinate had borrowed a total of 187,000 media online by July, in 2015 there were already 267,000 media by the end of July. The total number of loans in all online loans increased in 2016 “to a total of 22.2 million. While the increase from 2013 to 2014 was 64.2 percent, it was now around 27 percent compared to the previous year in 2016. “The total number of online libraries is currently over 3,000 participant libraries.

The user behavior is difficult to understand because of data protection. A survey in Rhineland-Palatinate showed that half of the users were between 30 and 50 years old. The “absolute majority” of these were women.

There has been a web forum for customer support since 2013. There is also a printed guide published by divibib, which can also be downloaded free of charge as a PDF. Further constantly updated overviews of the compatibility of the online loan with various end devices and step-by-step instructions are available on the help pages of all online loans. Divibib's own YouTube channel, the “Onleihe Academy”, offers video tutorials on how to use different functions of the Onleihe and the Onleihe app.

costs

Divibib GmbH buys the media it offers at normal retail prices. The library also pays the same amount for use as for a printed book.

In addition to the acquisition costs that the libraries pay to divibib GmbH, there are additional costs for the public sector that must be raised by the local authorities as the libraries. For the procurement of the basic stock of media for the first five libraries that had joined the online library in Rhineland-Palatinate, that was ten cents per inhabitant, in the following years another five cents per year were incurred. These numbers still apply today to libraries that have recently joined the eLibrary. Every Hessian library that takes part in the online loan spends at least five percent of its acquisition budget on the online loan network. All network participants can then access this inventory. In many cases, the libraries cannot find the resources to participate in eLibrary.

criticism

Lack of media availability

In the context of digital copyright management, the number of copies of media available is limited. In the pilot project in Hamburg, only four copies of the mirror were available for all library users to use at the same time, which is why there were bottlenecks when it appeared on Monday. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung e-paper can only be borrowed once every hour around the clock. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung is only available in the online shop on Sundays from 1 p.m., the Manager Magazin only two weeks after the printed edition has appeared. Even if there are EPUB editions, the publishers usually only add PDF editions to the online loan that cannot be displayed on e-book readers and in common PC applications because of the Adobe DRM . Popular titles are also no easier to obtain via the online loan than in print. The “sometimes very long waiting times because many other readers have made a note” are criticized. In contrast, flat-rate models for e-books are generally available, although coveted titles and bestsellers are not even included in the range of the latter. At the beginning of 2019, the app was fundamentally revised and the previous architecture for digital rights management ( DRM ) from Adobe was replaced with the CARE software from the French company TEA.

Technical problems during the loan process

Half of the users complained about problems with the borrowing process in 2012. The loan period of 21 days is perceived by readers, especially for more extensive works with many hundreds of pages, as clearly too short. Since the extension of a loan period is technically not provided, readers are under time pressure if they do not want to risk that the period expires before the end of the e-book. If this happens, it is not unlikely, among other things, for popular works that the e-book cannot be borrowed again directly, since it may already be reserved by another user of the e-loan. Newer online license models also make it possible to borrow the same title in parallel for several users. In addition, an early return function has been implemented to reduce waiting times. The technical restrictions in particular led to the conclusion in a report by Südwestrundfunk in 2012 that the project was “not yet fully developed”. At the end of 2015, n-tv came to the following conclusion in a comparative test of digital libraries ( Kindle Unlimited, Skoobe , Readfy, Onleihe) for the Onleihe: “The base price is low because you only need a library membership card. A large offer is another plus, and the loan works on almost all devices. The reader has to accept long waiting times because of the few licenses, just like the two-week loan period ”. In 2017, Stiftung Warentest described the online loan as the “price-performance winner” in a large comparison of e-book providers. Even after its relaunch, the app is considered error-prone. The average ratings of the online loan app are under 3 out of 5 stars for Android and under 2 out of 5 stars for iOS (as of May 2019).

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Some PDF readers have functional restrictions, especially in connection with DRM

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Imprint - divibib. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 9, 2017 ; accessed on August 9, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.divibib.com
  2. ↑ "C'est une première en France" - specialist magazine reports on the first online loan in France - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  3. ↑ International online lending - divibib. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 28, 2017 ; accessed on August 9, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.divibib.com
  4. ↑ On-loan from the Goethe Institute… divibib. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 9, 2017 ; accessed on August 9, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.divibib.com
  5. ↑ Questions about the online loan ( memento of the original from December 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Onleihe FAQ. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.onleihe.net
  6. ↑ Use with the app - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Use with eReader - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Register entry no. 307348237 at the DPMA.
  9. ↑ Register entry No. 3020080389451 at the DPMA.
  10. ↑ Duden | Onleihe® | Spelling, meaning, definition, origin. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  11. ↑ eLearning - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  12. ↑ The onleihe - what's going on where? (pdf), from cms.onleihe.de, accessed on September 25, 2018
  13. ↑ eAusleihe Neckar-Alb: eAusleihe Neckar-Alb. Help: overview. Retrieved August 10, 2017 .
  14. ↑ [1] , eLibrary compatible eBook readers, smartphones and tablet PCs. Status: November 16, 2015, accessed on December 20, 2015. https://www.webcitation.org/6duzGFZ9O ( Memento from December 20, 2015 on WebCite )
  15. ↑ [2] From the online loan to the eBook reader. Accessed December 20, 2015 ( https://www.webcitation.org/6duv9XHar ( December 20, 2015 memento on WebCite ) )
  16. ↑ Onleihe compatible MP3 players, smartphones and tablet PCs for the use of eAudios Status: October 28, 2015 , accessed on December 20, 2015. https://www.webcitation.org/6dv0F7ALq ( Memento from December 20, 2015 on WebCite )
  17. ↑ a b c Compatibility List. Retrieved August 10, 2017 .
  18. ↑ eAusleihe Neckar-Alb: eAusleihe Neckar-Alb. Help: overview. Retrieved August 10, 2017 .
  19. ↑ eLearning - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  20. ^ A b c d Dirk Asendorpf : Generation Google in the library . In: The time. April 1, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  21. ↑ David Hugendick: Schüss, Gutenberg . In: The time. April 17, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  22. ↑ Jan Free: The shelves are empty! . In: The time. April 17, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2012
  23. ↑ Imprint - divibib. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 9, 2017 ; accessed on August 9, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.divibib.com
  24. ↑ What role does eLibrary play for you? . In: boersenblatt.net. March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  25. ↑ ekz.bibliotheksservice becomes the sole shareholder of divibib GmbH - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  26. ^ A b c Matthias Kremp: Online Lending: Downloads from the Internet Library . In: Spiegel Online from May 31, 2007.
  27. ↑ Dirk Asendorpf: Generation Google in the library . In: ZEIT online from April 1, 2009.
  28. ↑ About us . In: Onleihe.net. 2007–2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  29. ↑ Thiemo Heeg : On- loan instead of loan . In: faz.net. January 20, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  30. ↑ Onleihe brings customers . In: Boersenblatt.net. March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  31. ↑ Every tenth library lends out e-books . In: Boersenblatt.net. February 13, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  32. ↑ a b c kum: Growing pains in the online loan . In: Börsenblatt No. 13/2012. Page 18.
  33. ↑ a b Susanne Stein: Onleihe: Libraries borrow online . In: RBB. ZIBB. February 19, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  34. ↑ Die Onleihe - the digital lending of public libraries - e-books, ePapers, eAudios for free and legal borrowing - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  35. ↑ For libraries - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  36. ↑ Amazon is allegedly planning an e-book flat rate . In: Spiegel. September 12, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  37. ↑ Konrad Lischka: The e-book flat rate is good for that . In: Spiegel. March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  38. ↑ For publishers - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  39. ↑ ekz group - divibib. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 14, 2017 ; accessed on August 14, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.divibib.com
  40. ↑ Onleihe Rheinland-Pfalz, accessed on December 22, 2015. https://www.webcitation.org/6dy5PmmsI ( Memento from December 22, 2015 on WebCite )
  41. ↑ Stable in the face of digital change: online loan with a broader range of media and consolidated use - divibib. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  42. ↑ a b c "The format war is being fought on the back of the user" . In: boersenblatt.net. March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  43. ↑ User forum of the provider.
  44. ↑ a b VÖBB: Onleihe. Help: overview. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  45. ^ Onleihe Academy. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  46. ↑ Video: Surf from the couch straight to the library. Onleihe and Metropolbib are virtual branches ( memento of the original dated June 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: The Rhine Palatinate. December 12, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rheinpfalz.de
  47. ^ Markus Bohm. Flat rates in direct comparison. Spiegel Online access on December 19, 2015. at https://www.webcitation.org/6dtbiW5gi ( Memento from December 19, 2015 on WebCite )
  48. ↑ The libraries have not yet arrived on the net. Retrieved September 13, 2019 .
  49. ↑ License models - divibib. Retrieved August 10, 2017 .
  50. ↑ Instructions - divibib. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 5, 2017 ; accessed on August 10, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.onleihe.net
  51. ↑ n-tv.de, accessed on December 22, 2015. at https://www.webcitation.org/6dy9cupyM ( Memento from December 22, 2015 on WebCite )
  52. ↑ Load eBooks: Stiftung Warentest praises Onleihe - and Aldi Life »read.net . In : lesen.net . April 27, 2017 ( online [accessed August 9, 2017]).
  53. ↑ Stiftung Warentest: E-Book - Buy, subscribe, borrow - or read for free - Test - Stiftung Warentest. Retrieved August 9, 2017 .
  54. ↑ Onleihe app in the Google Play Store. Retrieved April 11, 2019 .
  55. ↑ Onleihe app in the iTunes Store. In: iTunes. Retrieved April 11, 2019 .