The 3M Cloud Library service has just inked a deal with Kobo to allow libraries to sell eBooks on their websites. When patrons click the BUY button, they will be taken to the Kobo Bookstore to finalize their digital book purchases. 3M will donate a portion of each book sale to the library for use in purchasing additional eBooks from the 3M Cloud Library. With library budgets under constant pressure, this additional revenue stream can be a valuable way to enhance collections.
“With this program, a portion of the profits from an eBook sale will be donated to the library,” said Matt Tempelis, Global Business Manager for 3M Library Systems. “Kobo is a company that stands for Readers, and as such, emerged as the ideal partner for this initiative. We are excited to work with them to support libraries through eBook purchases.”
The new eBook purchase program will be available to all 500 libraries that currently deal with 3M. It is poised to launch in the middle of November and should give libraries the ability to opt into the program or not. This move further solidifies that libraries are starting to act as retailers, much to the chagrin of the ALA.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.