One of the topics in digital publishing that GoodEReader.com is watching closely is ebook lending. With so many concerns about piracy and spam in the digital book arena, it’s easy to get swept away by fraudulent content, leaving many e-reader users wary of utilizing this profoundly applicable resource.
3M has received a lot of coverage over the summer, beginning with their early reports at the American Library Association conference in New Orleans last month, for their developments in the 3M Library System’s Cloud Library eBook Lending Service. 3M is enabling public libraries to loan out ebooks via on-site Discovery Terminals and the upcoming 3M e-reader device that library patrons who do not already own a reading-enabled device can check-out from the local library.
3M is powering its lending capability through a partnership with German-based txtr, which created an early e-reading device some time ago. While 3M was adamant in a recent interview with GoodEReader.com that txtr will not be providing the actual e-reading device, they are contributing greatly to the components of the device and to the technology behind the library system.
Now, txtr is also helping create the technology behind the browsing capability of the Discovery Terminals and the cloud-based searching for patrons who choose to peruse the catalog from outside the library. It is also working on the library’s end of the process, providing the ability for the library to personalize their pages within the cloud system, to contact their patrons, and to stay on top of their catalogs.
“This is the first joint effort of 3M and txtr after they took an equity stake in txtr,” adds Thomas Leliveld, Chief Commercial Officer of txtr, speaking via Marijke van Hooren, public relations spokesperson. “The high growth of the eReading market and the rapidly rising sales of smart phones and tablets, show that libraries are right to embrace new technologies to capitalize on these trends. It was very encouraging to speak with library staff at ALA and to get their positive feedback to our first joint concrete project in the US market.”
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
