Home Grown eBook Pilot Project Brings 1,200 New eBooks to North Carolina Library Patrons

RALEIGH, N.C. - Aug. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- NC LIVE, North Carolina’s statewide public and academic library consortium, is experimenting with a new eBook project that gives North Carolina library patrons unlimited access to more than 1,200 eBook titles from North Carolina-based publishers. This collection offers a wide range of content, including novels by popular North Carolina authors, poetry, short stories, and non-fiction. The eBooks are available for public use on the BiblioBoard platform from the NC LIVE website, and on North Carolina library websites, featuring titles like Guests on Earth by Lee Smith and North Carolina and Old Salem Cookery by Beth Tartan, among many others.

The consortium partnered with eight local publishing houses to purchase the eBooks, including Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill (an imprint of Workman Books), Crossroad Press, Gryphon House, Ingalls Publishing Group, John F. Blair Publishing, McFarland, Press 53, and UNC Press.  Unlike traditional library eBooks, this collection features always available, unlimited simultaneous user access during the life of the pilot, meaning patrons will not have to place a hold or wait for an eBook to become available. Additionally, the BiblioBoard platform allows users to view the eBooks in a web browser or download them to their tablet devices via the BiblioBoard Library app.

With this project, NC LIVE was able to acquire eBook titles not previously available to libraries at lower prices than would be possible if the libraries had purchased them independently. Executive Director Tim Rogers noted, “For the cost of about 5 - 10 eBooks per library, the Home Grown collection gives every North Carolinian access to more than 1,200 eBooks.  It is something we can all feel good about,” he said.

State Librarian Cal Shepard echoed Rogers’ sentiments. “I believe this project showcases one of the many ways the state’s libraries are harnessing technology and working together to efficiently offer services that people want and need. When we pool our resources in this way, we’re able to achieve a lot more than we could individually.”

To access the Home Grown eBook Collection, visit http://ebooks.nclive.org. The pilot program will run through December 2014, during which time NC LIVE will work with publishers, libraries, and BiblioLabs, the provider of the BiblioBoard platform, to assess the long-term sustainability and success of these models.

About NC LIVE

NC LIVE is a statewide library consortium that provides shared digital content and services to North Carolina’s community colleges, public libraries, the UNC System, and NC Independent Colleges and Universities. Patrons of NC LIVE’s 200 member libraries may access eBooks, magazines, newspapers, journals, streaming videos, and more online via library websites, and through www.nclive.org.

About BiblioBoard

BiblioBoard is the PatronsFirst mobile library. The folks behind BiblioBoard are a powerful team based in Charleston, SC. They aim to transform access to information by providing a world-class user experience that thrills library patrons and is profitable for publishers. BiblioBoard is moving library content delivery into the future in a sustainable way. BiblioLabs is also a proud member of the Charleston Digital Corridor. To learn more, visit www.biblioboard.com.