Simon & Schuster has fully committed themselves to having their e-Books available to all libraries in Australia, Canada New Zealand USA and finally the United Kingdom. Starting today, 14,000 new and old titles will be available for libraries to purchase and start distributing to their patrons.
Each digital title acquired by a UK library for lending is usable for one year from the date of purchase. The library can offer an unlimited number of checkouts during the one-year term, although each copy may only be checked out by one user at a time for a maximum of 21 days. All of Simon & Schuster’s frontlist and backlist titles that are available as e-books are eligible for the program. Whenever a new book comes out from this point going forward, libraries will immediately be able to purchase the title without a waiting period.
Ian Chapman, c.e.o and publisher of Simon & Schuster UK Libraries are vital cultural institutions that promote education and literacy and help to bring our authors to readers , and this initiative is an expression of our commitment to the important role they play.”
The move to go beyond a series of small pilot projects is an absolute boon to readers who often turn the library to satiate their literary thirst. There are a number of digital titles that will be available that have become perennial New York Times bestsellers, such as All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Revival by Stephen King, The Innovators by Walter Isaacson and The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant.
I think its critical that more publishers firmly commit themselves to being present in the library. Not only are e-Book lovers able to read an expanded catalog of fiction and non-fiction titles, but can be kept abreast of the latest happenings with digital newspaper and magazine articles too.
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.