eBooks and digital media demonstrated on eReaders, smartphones and tablets at 50+ events across North America

 

Cleveland – August 1, 2011 – To help libraries and schools educate consumers about the growing eBook explosion, The Digital Bookmobile will return to the road for a national tour allowing readers across the country to discover free downloads from libraries. The tour resumes today, August 1, at Cuyahoga County Public Library in Cleveland and will continue across North America, including stops in Ohio, Virginia, District of Columbia and Texas. The Digital Bookmobile will also showcase eBooks, audiobooks and more at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. on September 24 and 25.

Each event will showcase the local public or K-12 library’s ‘Virtual Branch’ website where users can browse, check out and download titles anytime, anywhere with just a library card and an Internet connection. To see if the Digital Bookmobile will stop at your library, visit www.digitalbookmobile.com. To find a library near you that offers the service, visit http://search.overdrive.com/.

“The Digital Bookmobile, powered by OverDrive, will present at more than 50 libraries this year, helping thousands of patrons discover free eBooks and audiobooks from their libraries,” says David Burleigh, director of marketing for OverDrive. “The Digital Bookmobile helps public and school libraries promote downloadable eBooks, audiobooks, music, and videos by creating an engaging experience around the host library’s digital media collection.”

More than 15,000 OverDrive-powered libraries worldwide offer popular and educational titles in virtually every subject. Popular titles, such as Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, romance titles including Nora Robert’s Chasing Fire, and educational titles such as The China Study, can be borrowed. Children can also enjoy titles like Curious George and the Disney Digital Book Bolt. The titles simply expire at the end of the lending period, eliminating late fees and the need to return to the library.

The Digital Bookmobile, developed inside a 74-foot, 18-wheel tractor-trailer, is a high-tech update of the traditional bookmobile that has served communities for decades. The one-of-a-kind community outreach vehicle creates an engaging download experience with the host library’s ‘Virtual Branch’ download website and digital collection of eBooks, audiobooks and more. The vehicle is equipped with broadband Internet-connected PCs, high-definition monitors, premium sound systems, and a variety of portable media players.

The first events on the 2011 Digital Bookmobile National Tour schedule include:

  • Aug. 1 Cuyahoga County Public Library in Solon, Ohio
  • Aug. 2 Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library in Stow, Ohio
  • Aug. 3 Akron-Summit County Public Library in Akron, Ohio
  • Aug. 4 North Canton Public Library in North Canton, Ohio
  • Aug. 5-6 Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Aug. 8 Marion County Public Library in Fairmont, West Virginia
  • Aug. 13-14 Boone County Public Library in Union and Burlington, Kentucky

The Digital Bookmobile is hosted by individual libraries in support of their download services and operated by OverDrive. The inaugural Digital Bookmobile National Tour launched in 2008 and since then has held 325 events, introduced downloads to 75,000 library customers, and traveled 80,000 miles in the U.S. and Canada. OverDrive provides digital distribution services for more than 15,000 libraries, retailers, and schools worldwide with support for Windows®, Mac®, iPod®, iPhone, iPad, Sony® Reader, NOOK™, Android™, and BlackBerry®.

 

About the Digital Bookmobile

The Digital Bookmobile, developed inside a 74-foot, 18-wheel tractor-trailer, is a high-tech update of the traditional bookmobile that has served communities for decades. The one-of-a-kind community outreach vehicle creates an engaging download experience with the host library’s ‘Virtual Branch’ download website and digital collection of eBooks, audiobooks and more. The Digital Bookmobile is operated by OverDrive, which powers download websites at more than 15,000 libraries worldwide. www.digitalbookmobile.com

About OverDrive
OverDrive is a leading full-service digital distributor of eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video. We deliver secure management, DRM protection, and download fulfillment services for hundreds of publishers and thousands of libraries, schools, and retailers, serving millions of end users. OverDrive has been named to the EContent 100 as a company that matters most in the digital content industry. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, OH. www.overdrive.com

Assets:
Images from OverDrive’s Inaugural Digital Bookmobile Tour: http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalbookmobile/sets

YouTube Video from Inaugural Digital Bookmobile Tour:
http://youtu.be/JkKi_MNztlY

Follow the Digital Bookmobile on Twitter (@digibookmobile) and Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/digitalbookmobile

Contact:
David Burleigh
OverDrive, Inc.
216-573-6886 x218
dburleigh@OverDrive.com

 

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