In a fitting end to the working week, we have sailed past the 2000 signature mark. We are also delighted to close the day with the receipt of a statement of support from Welsh Higher Education Forum (WHELF)
The Chair and Vice-Chair of WHELF support this open letter on behalf of our board members and the wider Welsh academic and research library sector. The current e-book and e-textbook market is increasingly unsustainable, and the growing impact on our students and researchers across our communities is significant. The current situation severely limits access to information, research and knowledge across our organisations.
Through the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, Wales has enshrined in legislation the core principles around the wellbeing of the nation and its citizens. We would suggest that the status of the academic e-book market means that the purchase of core educational resources is increasingly beyond the budgets of our member libraries. This restricts the nation’s citizens access to a range of key lifelong learning and research opportunities; opportunities that they have every right to expect from us.
t: @whelfed
Big thanks to WHELF!
Finally, thank you so much all who have signed and shared the letter.
Good weekends all!