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New article on Controlled Digital Lending:

CDL works when a library scans a digital copy of a book they already own or accesses a scanned copy through a repository like the Internet Archive. It is then loaned out to patrons or other libraries. When the electronic version is “checked out”, the physical copy of the book becomes unavailable and vice versa (even at the Internet Archive’s vast storage site). This ensures that only one copy, the one purchased copy, is being loaned at one time. These digital copies of books have locks placed on them that allow the reader to access the book for a certain period of time. Once the library loan period expires, the book file automatically expires and is “returned” to the library, making it no longer accessible to the person that requested it.

CDL operates on three core principles of librarianship: the library must own copy of physical books, the library must maintain the owned-to-loaned ratio, the library must use technical measures to prevent copied or redistributed files. The Controlled Digital Lending’s “consistent owned-to-loaned ratio allows libraries to help bridge the gap between digital and traditional resources without violating copyright and distribution restrictions or overstepping the boundaries of e-book wary authors.

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Learn more about CDL under the Controlled Digital Lending box under the Topics page of this guide.