William Sieghart

With growth in ebook sales slowing, we seem to be reaching a point where digital and printed books can live in harmony. Will the same ever be said for publishers, booksellers and librarians? Not if the response to the latest e-lending pilot is anything to go by.

Two years ago, publisher William Sieghart's review into remote e-lending said that public libraries should be able to lend ebooks remotely. It also recommended that "frictions" (lending limits) be put in place to protect publishers and booksellers.

The just-released “Independent Library Report for England” launched by the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has outlined a situation that its chief author, William Sieghart, has referred to elsewhere as the brink of “absolute disaster.” And it calls for both wholesale renovation of the UK’s library network, and recognition of their fundamental […]

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The UK’s Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) has just announced the completion of its submission to the panel chaired by “philanthropist, entrepreneur and publisher William Sieghart” tasked with producing an “independent report on England’s public library service.” And the announcement warns that: “the current service is in England is becoming a ‘postcode [...]

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The UK Department for Culture, Media & Sport (headed by Ed Vaizey) and Department for Communities and Local Government have jointly commissioned “an independent report on the public library service in England,” to be led by “philanthropist, entrepreneur and publisher William Sieghart.” This is the same William Sieghart who led the fairly well-regarded previous report [...]

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