This document summarizes a presentation given by Mikkel Christoffersen at a meeting in Naples, Italy in May 2016 about recent developments with the Danish ebook platform eReolen. It provides a brief history of eReolen since 2011, noting negotiations with publishers and changes to licensing models. In 2016, 5 of the 6 biggest publishers pulled out of eReolen, removing 3,000 ebooks and 1,000 audiobooks. Usage statistics on loans, users, and titles are presented. A user survey from 2016 is also summarized.

1. Denmark update 2016
Naples meeting, Den Haag, May 11th 2016
// Mikkel Christoffersen
Project manager, eReolen

2. Short history of eReolen
2011-12
• eReolen opens with
aid from the ministry
• All libraries and all
publishers participate
• Model is one-copy
multiple-user
• Price tiered based on
age (time of publ.)
• Big Publishers pull out
2013-14
• Big publishers make
their own portal EBIB
• One-copy one-user
• eReolen keeps on and
EBIB languishes then
closes
• Negotiations to re-
fusion with a hybrid
model
• Deal signed
2015
• Hybrid model works
• Huge success
• eReolen promotes the
back catalogue
• Bestsellers suffer(!)
• Audio books explode
for real
• Many big publishers
are worried again

3. 2016
• 5 of the 6 biggest publishers pull
out. The biggest digital publisher
(Lindhardt & Ringhof) stay!
• The big publishers are in-fighting
over digitisation. eReolen and
Copenhagen collaborates w. L&R.
• They pull out of audio books too
• They lobby politicians to either
enforce ”one model fits all” or
preventing libraries from having e-
books altogether
• eReolen loses 3,000 e-books and
1,000 audio books or 25% and 20%
• We’re now looking to re-negotiate
– again! 

4. Lending models
1. One-copy one-user: We have four loans
per license. Purchase and management
is national as are the reservation queues.
2. One-copy multiple-users: The bread and
butter of our platform. Fixed prices
based on age or length of audio book
and there are local restrictions.
3. Free-for-all: We pay once for all or part
of a publisher’s catalogue. It is then free
to loan for everybody without local
restrictions.
• License: Retail price
divided by 4
• From €1.50 to €2.00 and
€2.00 to €2.50 for audio
books
• For 2016 we’ve paid
€800,000 up front. Per
loan it’s much cheaper

5. Current compromise
• eReolen acknowledges that publishers need to protect their markets;
especially for new titles while publishers acknowledge that eReolen does not
want the license model as the major model.
• Most new titles are put in a license model for the first 6 months, then moved
to a click model. Some start in the click model right away, a few exceptions
never leave the license model.
• Publishers can withhold titles for whatever reason to a reasonable degree
• Licenses have 4 loans. The price of the licens is retail price. Licenses are
bought nationally; loans distributed locally.

6. E-books: loans and titles

7. Audio books: loans and titles

8. Jan.-Apr. 2016: Unique users and loans

9. Unique titles loaned
We loan out more titles than are available … ;)

10. Popular titles’ share of loans

11. Users and their number of loans

12. E-books’ age vs. loans
Loans pr. age Catalogue pr. age

13. Audio books’ age vs. loans
Loans pr. age Catalogue pr. age

14. Models

15. The effect of the one-copy one-user model

16. Gender and media (Cph.)

17. Loans and time of day (Cph.)

18. Loans pr. borough (Cph.)

19. Age, gender and media (Cph.)

20. User survey 2016
Consultant Trine-Maria Kristensen
• 935 users answer a questionnaire
• Focus groups with <30 yo. and
>30 yo. users resectively as well
as non-users in two cities
• Focus on use and evaluating the
service and the promotion, use of
social media and communication
in general

21. ”What else do you use?”
23%
16%
14%
11%
8%
7%
7%
6%
8%
Bruger du andre bog – eller litteraturwebsider?
Litteratursiden.dk
Mofibo
Goodreads
Saxo
Storytel
Amazon
Riidr
Bibliotek.dk
Andet
Kommercielle
aktører
53%
Biblioteksservices
32%
Goodreads
15%
Opsummeret

22. Thank you 
Mikkel Christoffersen
Senior adviser, Copenhagen Libraries
c45c@kff.kk.dk
Mob. +45 2049 1885