In January 2015, a new Libraries Act was implemented (Wet stelsel openbare bibliotheken). This new act defines the five core functions of public libraries as: to promote reading and a taste for literature; facilitate learning; make knowledge and information available; promote art and culture; and organise social encounters and debate. The act also addresses the digitisation of the sector, which started in the late 1990s. To streamline and co-ordinate this process, the Dutch public libraries set up the foundation Bibliotheek.nl (2009). They build a digital infrastructure in order to create one Dutch national digital library by connecting all (digital systems of the) Dutch public libraries. This digitisation project is coordinated by the Royal Library of the Netherlands.
The government implemented the Act on Fixed Booked Prices (Wet op de Vaste Boekenprijs) in 2005. The act aims to prevent price competition by regulating the pricing of Dutch and Frisian book- and music publications, with the exception of electronic publications and audio-books. The Royal Netherlands Book Trade Association represents the interests of Dutch booksellers and publishers and evaluates the act periodically. The Dutch Media Authoritysupervises compliance with the act. The act has been renewed on January 1st, 2019 and includes a tax increase (from 6 percent to 9 percent) and the possibility for publishers and booksellers to change the fixed prices within six months.
In the Netherlands, there is a voluntary deposit: the Depot of Dutch Publications. In consultation with the Dutch Media Federation, it has been agreed that all publishers submit one copy of each publication issued in the Netherlands to one of the depot libraries: the Royal Library of the Netherlands or the libraries of the Technical University Delft and Wageningen University for respectively works related to exact sciences and agriculture. In the Dutch Bibliography Online, there is a record of every submitted publication, including first issues of magazines.
Comments are closed.