ebrary Enhances Strategic E-book Acquisition Program for Public Libraries

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To enable public libraries to affordably and strategically meet the nonfiction e-book needs of patrons, ebrary®, a ProQuest business, has added over 9,000 new titles from publishers including Bentham Science and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt across acquisition models. 

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More than 1,100 of the new titles are in subjects including health & fitness, photography and religion and are available through Public Library Complete™, which provides simultaneous, multi-user access and continued growth.  These titles and an additional 7,900 e-books in subject areas such as history, sports, and art are now available for purchase outright or through ebrary's patron driven acquisition program.  Many are also available for short-term loan.   

To make it easier for public libraries to support patrons looking to start or grow a small business, ebrary's on-staff librarians have also created a perpetual pack in Small Business Ownership and Entrepreneurship.  With over 70 recently published e-books from trusted publishers such as AMACOM, John Wiley & Sons, Kogan Page, and Palgrave Macmillan, the pack covers topics including strategy, marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, HR, capital raising, and sustainability. The new pack, which can be previewed at librarytitles.ebrary.com, is part of a series that will be available for purchase throughout the year in key areas requested by public librarians.

"Public libraries are playing a greater role now more than ever, and patrons are increasingly relying on them to provide research necessary to their careers, schooling, and everyday life," said Leslie Lees ebrary's Vice President of Content Development. "To meet the growing nonfiction needs of patrons affordably and efficiently, diversifying e-book acquisition models is essential."

Many ebrary customers start their strategic e-book acquisition programs by subscribing to an affordable subscription database such as Public Library Complete, then leverage usage statistics to determine where to strategically apply budget to other models.  High-use subjects can be expanded with patron driven acquisition where titles are only purchased if used.  Lower use subjects can be supplemented with short-term loan with no commitment to purchase. Essential titles, such as those included in ebrary's new Small Business Ownership and Entrepreneurship, pack can be purchased outright.

All titles, regardless of acquisition model, are seamlessly integrated and delivered on the ebrary platform with the following key features and benefits:

• Dedicated apps for the iPad®, iPhone®, iPod touch® and Android™
• DASH!™ (Data Sharing, Fast) for uploading and integrating a library's own digital content from local computers.  DASH! is available to Public Library Complete subscribers.
• InfoTools™, which turns words into portals to additional knowledge online
• COUNTER-compliant usage statistics
• Multiple search and navigation options
• Chapter ranking of search results
• Personal bookshelves 
• Highlighting and annotating
• Text-to-hyperlinks
• Text-to-speech
• Automatic citations
• Interface in multiple languages

About ebrary (www.ebrary.com)
ebrary helps customers acquire e-books strategically through a three step approach: Transition, Diversify and Streamline™.  The company believes that by challenging the e-book status quo, organizations can effectively serve the diverse and growing needs of researchers and maximize their budgets. Founded in 1999, long before e-books were popular, ebrary is a ProQuest business located in Palo Alto, CA, USA.

SOURCE ebrary