Can scholarly pirate libraries bridge the knowledge access gap? An empirical study on the structural conditions of book piracy in global and European academia external link

Bodó, B., Antal, D. & Puha, Z.
PLoS ONE, vol. 15, num: 12, 2020

Abstract

Library Genesis is one of the oldest and largest illegal scholarly book collections online. Without the authorization of copyright holders, this shadow library hosts and makes more than 2 million scholarly publications, monographs, and textbooks available. This paper analyzes a set of weblogs of one of the Library Genesis mirrors, provided to us by one of the service’s administrators. We reconstruct the social and economic factors that drive the global and European demand for illicit scholarly literature. In particular, we test if lower income regions can compensate for the shortcomings in legal access infrastructures by more intensive use of illicit open resources. We found that while richer regions are the most intensive users of shadow libraries, poorer regions face structural limitations that prevent them from fully capitalizing on freely accessible knowledge. We discuss these findings in the wider context of open access publishing, and point out that open access knowledge, if not met with proper knowledge absorption infrastructures, has limited usefulness in addressing knowledge access and production inequalities.

Auteursrecht, frontpage, Internet, knowledge gap, libraries, piraterij

Bibtex

Article{Bodó2020c, title = {Can scholarly pirate libraries bridge the knowledge access gap? An empirical study on the structural conditions of book piracy in global and European academia}, author = {Bodó, B. and Antal, D. and Puha, Z.}, url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/articl=10.1371/journal.pone.0242509 }, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242509}, year = {1204}, date = {2020-12-04}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {15}, number = {12}, pages = {}, abstract = {Library Genesis is one of the oldest and largest illegal scholarly book collections online. Without the authorization of copyright holders, this shadow library hosts and makes more than 2 million scholarly publications, monographs, and textbooks available. This paper analyzes a set of weblogs of one of the Library Genesis mirrors, provided to us by one of the service’s administrators. We reconstruct the social and economic factors that drive the global and European demand for illicit scholarly literature. In particular, we test if lower income regions can compensate for the shortcomings in legal access infrastructures by more intensive use of illicit open resources. We found that while richer regions are the most intensive users of shadow libraries, poorer regions face structural limitations that prevent them from fully capitalizing on freely accessible knowledge. We discuss these findings in the wider context of open access publishing, and point out that open access knowledge, if not met with proper knowledge absorption infrastructures, has limited usefulness in addressing knowledge access and production inequalities.}, keywords = {Auteursrecht, frontpage, Internet, knowledge gap, libraries, piraterij}, }

The Genesis of Library Genesis: The Birth of a Global Scholarly Shadow Library external link

0518

access to knowledge, frontpage, libraries

Bibtex

Chapter{Bodó2018b, title = {The Genesis of Library Genesis: The Birth of a Global Scholarly Shadow Library}, author = {Bodó, B.}, url = {https://www.ivir.nl/publicaties/download/library_genesis.pdf}, year = {0518}, date = {2018-05-18}, keywords = {access to knowledge, frontpage, libraries}, }

Literature review on the use of licensing in library context, and the limitations this creates to access to knowledge external link

vol. 2017, 2017

Abstract

The dual purpose of this literature review is, first, to identify and summarise limitations that result from the use of copyright licences in a library context, and, second, to illustrate these limitations with specific examples available in both the academic and grey literature. The licences discussed in the reviewed literature deal essentially with access to, and use of, digital content.

access to knowledge, Copyright, frontpage, libraries, Licensing

Bibtex

Article{Yakovleva2017, title = {Literature review on the use of licensing in library context, and the limitations this creates to access to knowledge}, author = {Yakovleva, S.}, url = {https://www.ivir.nl/publicaties/download/limits_of_licensing_literature_review.pdf}, year = {1006}, date = {2017-10-06}, volume = {2017}, pages = {}, abstract = {The dual purpose of this literature review is, first, to identify and summarise limitations that result from the use of copyright licences in a library context, and, second, to illustrate these limitations with specific examples available in both the academic and grey literature. The licences discussed in the reviewed literature deal essentially with access to, and use of, digital content.}, keywords = {access to knowledge, Copyright, frontpage, libraries, Licensing}, }

Digital libraries, digital law? A tale of copyright challenges and chances external link

What do we lose when we lose a library?, University Library, KU Leuven, 2016, pp: 179-187, ISBN: ISBN 978 94 6165 199 0

Abstract

This contribution inquires the following assumption: if libraries have a public task to provide low threshold access to (online) information, then shouldn’t copyright law, as a system of exclusive rights and exceptions which shares goals in the organization and dissemination of information, somehow facilitate that task?

Copyright, Copyright Directive, copyright reform, Darmstadt, digital libraries, exceptions, frontpage, libraries, Orphan Works Directive, public task

Bibtex

Chapter{Breemen2016, title = {Digital libraries, digital law? A tale of copyright challenges and chances}, author = {Breemen, V.}, url = {http://depot.lias.be/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE7828796&}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-10-28}, abstract = {This contribution inquires the following assumption: if libraries have a public task to provide low threshold access to (online) information, then shouldn’t copyright law, as a system of exclusive rights and exceptions which shares goals in the organization and dissemination of information, somehow facilitate that task?}, keywords = {Copyright, Copyright Directive, copyright reform, Darmstadt, digital libraries, exceptions, frontpage, libraries, Orphan Works Directive, public task}, }