Readers of all ages can’t keep their hands off eBook catalogs at library touchscreen stations

 

Cleveland, Ohio – November 12, 2013— OverDrive announced today that its “inside the library” eBook, audiobook, music and video sampling and checkout terminal, OverDrive Media Station, is now broadly available. Launched as a pilot program earlier this year with 50 public library systems in five countries, the in-library eBook kiosks enable readers to browse eBooks, audiobooks and other media on a touchscreen monitor in libraries or any location where libraries want to introduce readers to their eBook catalog.

OverDrive Media Station enables libraries to showcase to the millions of in-library patrons their entire OverDrive digital catalog, including eBooks, audiobooks, music and video. Experienced or new users can browse, search and sample any of the media they find with the swipe of a finger. Patrons can instantly (without cables or pre-installed apps) send a link to any title from OverDrive Media Station to their favorite device for checkout using a QR code, email or text message (SMS).

King County Library System (KCLS) in Washington, one of the largest and top-rated public libraries in the nation, installed OverDrive Media Station recently at the re-opening of their updated Federal Way 320th Library branch.

“The OverDrive Media Station has been really well received by our patrons. It’s rarely unoccupied,” said Jennifer Simon Halai, Librarian, Virtual Library Services at KCLS. “During the day, adults are the dominant users, but after school and in the evenings, it’s the kids and teens who are engaging with it, usually with a smartphone or tablet in hand.”

With an ad campaign running last month alongside the OverDrive Media Station implementation, KCLS has seen an immediate increase in eBook checkouts in the first month. Halai said they have seen a definite rise in engagement with the large touchscreen device as a key feature in the new library.

The OverDrive Media Station is now available for all libraries. Contact your Account Representative for more information.

 

About OverDrive
OverDrive is a leading multichannel digital distributor of eBooks, digital audiobooks, music and video.  We supply a secure lending platform for 27,000 libraries, schools and retailers worldwide with support for all major computers and devices, including iPhone®, iPad®, Nook®, Android™ phones and tablets, and Kindle® (U.S. only).  Recent enhancements to OverDrive’s platform include multilingual user interface support, in-library touchscreen services for browsing and instant sampling of eBooks or audiobooks, and OverDrive Read, the company’s EPUB and HTML5 browser-based reading experience.

OverDrive has been named to the EContent 100 as a company that matters most in the digital content industry and is a member of the 2012 Technology Fast 500. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland. www.overdrive.com.

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

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