During the American Library Association Conference in New Orleans there was some interesting news coming out of the Barnes and Noble camp. It looks like they have partnered with one of the worlds leading distributor of books and ebooks, Baker and Taylor.
This new partnership mainly effects borrowing ebooks and audiobooks from libraries equipped with Axis 360. So what exactly is Axis 360? The software provides librarians with a collection development channel that bundles digital and physical content. Librarians can order content in one electronic shopping cart through B&T’s Title Source 3 Site, while patrons will have access to a broad array of content. According to B&T, digital content ordered through Axis 360 is activated in the library’s collection immediately after the order is placed. Beginning in the fall of this year, libraries using Axis 360 will have access to both ePub and spoken word audio titles, in addition to patron reviews and star ratings.
This looks like a solid new venture that appeals to the widely popular Barnes and Noble Nook line of e-readers. This seems like an exclusive USA program right now since Baker and Taylor is North Carolina based and there is no word if it will be available for libraries based internationally.
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.
