eReaders, Tablets, Smartphones and Free eBook Apps drive explosive adoption in school libraries and classrooms

 

Beijing International Book Fair, China International Exhibition Centre – August 31, 2011 – At the opening of the largest publishing event in China, OverDrive (www.overdrive.com) released updated statistics regarding the unprecedented demand in school markets worldwide for its global catalog of popular eBooks, audiobooks, music and video.  Through the first eight months of 2011, OverDrive’s School Download Library service has grown 500 percent over 2010 and is now available to hundreds of thousands of students and staff in hundreds of schools in 15 countries around the world.

OverDrive, the leading global supplier to libraries and booksellers, is compatible with all major desktop and mobile platforms, including Windows, iOS and Android.  With a growing catalog of 300,000 popular, classic and educational titles in eBook and audiobook formats, OverDrive’s School Download Library helps teachers by complementing existing curricula and increasing student engagement. Publishers in OverDrive’s extensive catalog include Scholastic, Wiley, Houghton Mifflin, Encyclopedia Brittanica, Saddleback Educational Publishing, Listening Library, Lerner Publishing Group, ABDO Digital, Gareth Stevens, Charlesbridge Publishing, Dorling Kindersley, Heinemann-Raintree, Chronicle Books, Marvel Comics, Disney Digital Books, Open Road Integrated Media, Oxford University Press, ABC-CLIO and Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, plus many more providing test prep, study guides, foreign language learning and other educational tools.

At the Beijing International Book Fair, OverDrive representatives are meeting with leading Chinese and Asian publishers seeking to distribute their digital titles into OverDrive’s global network including schools, libraries and booksellers.  OverDrive CEO Steve Potash is a featured speaker at events this week including the Beijing International Publishing Forum and the Digital Gateway to the World.

OverDrive currently supplies more than 15,000 public library partners, and now powers digital collections at hundreds of schools, including Zurich International School in Switzerland, Bonn International School in Germany, and schools in Belgium, China, India, Japan, Netherlands, UK, Thailand, Turkey, Canada and the United States.

In each participating school’s custom “School Download Library,” educators may select from OverDrive’s vast catalog to build their collection, allowing for differentiation of instruction in their classrooms.  All titles are housed on a secure, custom-branded website available to students and staff 24/7.  Key benefits for schools include the elimination of damage, loss and late fees because each borrowed title expires at the end of a lending period.

eBooks and audiobooks are easily accessible on popular computers and devices students already own and navigate easily, including Windows® PC, Mac®, iPad®, iPhone®, Android™ phone or tablet, Sony® Reader, NOOK™, BlackBerry®, Windows® Phone and other devices.  Compatibility with Kindle is coming soon (US only).

 

About OverDrive
OverDrive is a leading multichannel 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

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

 

###