As the nation’s library professionals convene at the 2014 American Library Association Annual (ALA) Conference in Las Vegas, June 27-30, leading digital platform provider OverDrive will introduce and demonstrate its 2014/2015 eBook lending roadmap. OverDrive team members will brief librarians on plans to launch a series of content, end-user and platform enhancements over the coming weeks and months. These include new access models, expanded discovery for library holdings, and additional tools for libraries to achieve measurable success with their eBook and digital lending collections. Notable enhancements include:

More content, more flexible access models

  • Always Available title plans that enable libraries and schools to select one or a set of titles for simultaneous availability. This is ideal for book clubs, summer reading and “city read” programs.
  • Cost-per-checkout (CPC) model that allows libraries to make available a supplier’s entire catalog of titles, but only incur a charge when a user borrows a title. OverDrive will launch major Hollywood feature films for streaming video that require this lending model.
  • Engage new readers with new eBook lending catalogs: Graphic novels, manga (English and Japanese) and popular children’s eBook series and picture books using EPUB3 with fixed layout.
  • Classroom set eBook collections for schools with discounts for multiple units. Options include one year, one semester, or 90 day periods.
  • Consortia-friendly programs to enable Advantage titles to be migrated from individual libraries to shared collections, as permitted by publishers and suppliers.

Easiest and most proven platform with new apps and services

  • OverDrive App updates later this summer will eliminate the Adobe activation step.
  • Automatic title renewals, automatic hold checkout, and other library-managed policies that maximize circulation of library titles by responding to the most requested features of readers and librarians.
  • Synchronized audio narration with text, dictionary support, and other features beneficial to students and researchers.
  • A series of new APIs that enable deeper integration with ILS and discovery layers, and provide analytics, based on the proven success of OverDrive’s Developer Portal (#1 rated library APIs by ReadersFirst).

“We are constantly innovating in response to requests from libraries and users. This includes libraries that are disappointed with competitor eBook collections due to low checkouts and fewer features,” said Shannon Lichty, OverDrive’s director of partner services. “As a result, we are supporting library requests to migrate their eBook and audiobook titles currently on other platforms to OverDrive in order to instantly benefit from higher circulation and compatibility with more devices.”

OverDrive to reach millions of readers and bring new users to the library

As reported by Pew Research, only about half of Americans ages 16 and older used a public library in some form in the past year (see report by Pew Research). At ALA, OverDrive will demonstrate programs to connect new users with their public library:

  • “Read Excerpt” and “Borrow eBook” links to local libraries at top search engines and online catalogs. Search for “Goldfinch book” on bing.com to see an example.
  • OverDrive Readbox (embedded eBook samples) at high-traffic book and news sites and search engines. See examples of Readbox embedded samples at Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and OverDrive Blog.
  • Reader-centric OverDrive.com with enhanced locate-your-library services. Libraries and online book communities can share library eBook samples on any website with a simple cut-and-paste of the embed code.

 

To see these upcoming enhancements and more, visit OverDrive’s booth #1317 at ALA.

6 Responses to “OverDrive to Present 2014/2015 eBook Lending Roadmap at National Library Conference”

  1. Wendy Hicks

    We’re a member, through downloadLibrary.ca. My staff want to read a bit more about how the API works, since we don’t have it yet (we’re Canadian) but are both a Horizon & Bibliocommons library. Looking for an article, or ?? Thanks!

    • Heather Tunstall

      Hi Wendy,
      Thanks for your note. Here is our API/Developer website, which has a lot of very good information and resources to learn more about how our APIs work: https://developer.overdrive.com/. Under “Getting Started with OverDrive,” you can find guides, articles, and the options we offer. Of course, if you’d like more information or to speak with our representatives to get you started, please let us know and we’d be happy to answer your specific questions.

  2. Eric Molinsky

    Will “other features beneficial to students and researchers” include a highlighting function in the OMC app? Hope so. The addition of that one feature would be the final step to make it one of the most usable reader apps out there.

    • Heather Tunstall

      Hi Eric,
      Thank you! Notes and highlighting are definitely on our road map, and we will announce those features as soon as they become available. We don’t have a date to share yet, but keep checking here and our other communication outlets for updates!

  3. Mary Jo Matousek

    Can you send me info about always available and classroom sets. So I can review when I return in august Thanks

    • Heather Tunstall

      Hi Mary Jo,
      Thanks so much for your note. If you know your Account Specialist, please contact them directly and they’ll be happy to send you any material and information you may need specifically. If you do not know your account specialist, please fill out the contact form, which is the quickest way to get in touch with the right person here at OverDrive to help you. Thanks again!
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