Libraries, Archives, Museums: Controlled Digital (CDL) Lending Resources: Home

Learn about CDL

CDL Decision Round Two: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Why There is Still Hope. Courtney, K.K. (September 16, 2024.)
Subtitled "The Reports of CDL’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated", the article explores CDL after Hachette v. Internet Archive.
Kelley KB. RISK vs. REWARD: Controlled Digital Lending for Interlibrary Loan. Computers in Libraries. 2024;44(6):6-9.
Available to Alaskans through the Statewide Library Electronic Doorway.
Position Statement on Controlled Digital Lending. Bailey, L., Courtney, K.K., Hansen, D., Minow, M., Schultz, J., and Wu, M. (September 2018).
"Offers a good faith interpretation of U.S. copyright law for American libraries considering how to perform traditional lending functions using digital technology while preserving an appropriate balance between the public benefit of such lending and the protected interests of private rights holders."
A White Paper on Controlled Digital Lending of Library Books. Courtney, K.K., and Hansen, D.R. (2018).
Written "in support of the Position Statement on Controlled Digital Lending."
Controlled Digital Lending: Unlocking the Library’s Full Potential. Library Futures Foundation and the Intellectual Property and Information Policy Clinic at Georgetown Law. (2021).
A policy paper advocating for the use of controlled digital lending in libraries.
Consortial CDL: Implementing Controlled Digital Lending as a Mechanism for Interlibrary Loan. Boston Library Consortium. (September 2021).
Report and recommendations of a working group "charged with investigating delivery mechanisms, technology, workflows, policies, copyright and legal issues, shared storage solutions, and other actions related to a potential consortial implementation of CDL among interested BLC member libraries."
Controlled Digital Lending by Libraries
Website aims to help libraries “better understand the legal framework underpinning CDL, communicate their support for CDL, and build a community of expertise around the practice of CDL.”
Empowering Libraries
The Internet Archive's campaign in support of controlled digital lending.
CIRC (CDL Information & Recommendation Cooperative)
Aims to "help libraries understand the legal framework of CDL, advocate for it, and build a community of expertise around its practice."
NISO Working Group on an Interoperable System of Controlled Digital Lending
Objective is to develop a “consensus framework in support of controlled digital lending of book content by libraries, to be published as a NISO Recommended Practice.”

Services, technologies and tools

These services, systems, and tools range from ones supporting a single step in the CDL process (such as secure delivery of protected files), to services and systems supporting the entire CDL process. Some are only in development. For an analysis of many of these tools, see the CIRC website and ASERL "Future Thinking" resource guide listed above.

Just a few considerations in selecting tools:

Whether you need a mechanism for discovering your digitized collection
Whether you have plans to incorporate access to any other electronic resources
Your capacity to touch/handle each loan
Your ability to store access copies of your digitized resources
Your capacity or willingness to manage/maintain user accounts
Your capacity to develop or implement open-source solutions
Your borrowers, and whether they are likely to download an app to use your digitized items
Accessibility
Your budget

Open Libraries
The Internet Archive scans and hosts library books
Occam's Reader
Developed by Texas Tech University, University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Greater Western Library Alliance. Offers some CDL functionality such as limiting loan period and DRM technology and memberships to libraries at a low annual cost.
The Palace Project
A “platform…that will allow libraries to purchase, organize, and deliver ebooks and other digital content…quickly and easily while protecting patron privacy…builds on a collaboration between DPLA and LYRASIS…and uses the Library Simplified platform, an open-source code base originally designed and developed by The New York Public Library. ” We understand that the platform allows delivery of content that libraries digitize from their own collections. Patrons use an app to access content.
Alma Digital
A digital asset management system from Ex Libris which supports some CDL functionality.
Caltech DIBS (Digital Borrowing System)
An open source system built by Caltech to provide books to students during the pandemic. Uses the Universal Viewer and sits behind the library's already existing authentication layer and catalog/discovery layer.
Project ReShare and ReShare CDL
Project ReShare is a collaborative effort to develop tools supporting CDL. The project developed ReShare CDL, software which can aid libraries in managing CDL requests.
Digify
Incorporates DRM and file tracking. Developed for another industry, but also in use at some libraries to support CDL. Files are accessed through the browser and stored in the cloud. Library staff need to be involved with each loan.
LockLizard
Offers DRM and secure PDF viewers.
Dropbox
Used by the Digital Theological Library to securely deliver protected files to patrons.
LibGuides tools from Springshare
Some libraries have experimented with use of LibWizard and LibGuides for placing requests and securely communicating links and passwords for CDL resources.
Google Drive
Tested by NYU Shanghai. Fordham University Libraries developed a CDL app using it as the backend.
FileOpen
Works like a virtual data room, enabling library users to access protected files through their browser for defined periods of time.
Readium LCP
A digital rights management solution that can support digital book lending.
G-CDL
From the description on GitHub: "... automates the manual process of using Google Drive's share with “Prevent commenters and viewers from downloading, printing, or copying files”, and "Share with expiration" with the goal of providing access to a PDF to specified users using the Controlled Digital Lending principles.

Documents Librarian

Katie Fearer

Email Me

Contact:

Alaska State Library
P.O. Box 110571
Juneau, AK 99811-0571

Subjects: Shipping Lists, SOA - Administration, SOA - Administration - ETS, SOA - Court System, SOA - Law, SOA - Military and Veterans Affairs, SOA - Revenue, SOA - Transportation and Public Facilities, State Publication

IA's response to Hachette

Read the Internet Archive's Blog Post