Library Stuff

MPR – “Millions of Americans now own Kindles, Nooks and other e-readers. And libraries are taking notice, expanding their collections of e-books they can loan to patrons. That trend has 3M’s attention. The company has a long history of serving libraries. And 3M sees a big business opportunity in helping libraries build, manage and lend their collections of electronic books. The St. Paul Public Library next month will begin a formal trial of 3M’s “Cloud Library” system, along with ten other major public libraries around the country.”

LJ – “The Kansas state librarian is making steady gains in her unprecedented year-long battle to wrest the statewide consortium ebook collection from OverDrive’s platform and make it accessible, at no extra charge, on the new platform being offered by 3M. To sweeten its offering, 3M has been negotiating with Amazon to make the 3M Cloud Library compatible with the Kindle ereader and is taking a position diametrically opposed to OverDrive’s regarding the transfer of previously licensed digital content to a different vendor’s platform.”

Press Release – ” The 3M Cloud Library System will revolutionize how patrons discover, borrow and read eBooks from their library. This eBook solution includes a comprehensive subscription for both digital content and in-library hardware, along with apps for borrowing and reading, providing libraries with a simple and turnkey system for participating in the digital revolution.

“This system helps libraries connect to patrons on site, at home and on the go,” says 3M Library Systems Global Business Manager Matt Tempelis. “It’s a great example of how 3M’s ongoing commitment to libraries is helping them create the 21st century library.”