News

Cleveland library adds eBook access to self-service mix

January 6, 2003

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Public Library has entered into an agreement with digital media company OverDrive, Inc. to open a circulating eBook and digital media collection that patrons will be able to access and download for offline reading through either the library's online catalog or from a new kiosk-style Web site.

The Cleveland Public Library eBook Collection will offer periodicals and best-selling titles for reading on nearly every type of PC, notebook, Tablet PC, Palm, Sony and Pocket PC PDA device, according to a news release.

Andrew Venable, Jr., director of the library, called the digital book collection "another example of our dedication to utilizing technology for 'access anytime, anywhere.' " The facility was the first major public library in the country to offer 24-hour dial-up public access to its online catalog and Internet databases.

First-time services that will differentiate the Cleveland Public Library digital collection from earlier library eBook efforts include support for reading on Palm and Pocket PC PDA devices in addition to PCs, the ability for the library to add its own digitized titles to the collection such as local newspapers or archived documents, and support for circulating copyrighted digital audio books and other multimedia.

Scheduled to launch in March, the service will be displayed by OverDrive in Booth #1735 with Adobe Systems at the upcoming 2003 American Library Association Midwinter Meeting from Jan. 24-27 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

OverDrive, a strategic partner to Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Adobe Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) and Palm Digital Media, provides digital media solutions for enterprises including many of the world's largest publishing and book retailing companies including Barnesandnoble.com, HarperCollins Publishers, Random House, McGraw-Hill, WHSmith and others.