New Product News – Mar/Apr 2013
Ingram Adds Access Model to MyiLibrary
Is your library having trouble keeping popular e-book titles available? Instead of buying up multiple copies of e-books with no way of reselling them, Ingram now offers a way for libraries to pay for access credit so that concurrent users can access the same e-book at the same time. The Access Model is a new addition to their e-book platform called MyiLibrary, with more than 400,000 titles used by 3,000 libraries internationally. “As use of our MyiLibrary solution grows, our ongoing development of the platform continues to be driven in a large part by industry growth and direct library and patron feedback,” said Dan Sheehan, vice president and general manager, Ingram Content Group library services. ”Patron usage of e-books continues to climb, and the addition of our new multi-user concurrent Access Model gives libraries the flexibility to meet the content requirements of their patrons, and manage budgets effectively.”
3M Cloud Library and Tutor.com Now Integrated into the Boopsie App
For libraries currently using the 3M Cloud Library or Tutor.com, Boopsie has partnered with these companies to integrate their product with your library’s Boopsie native app. The 3M Cloud Library, with its 250,000 titles from more than 300 publishers, is now accessible to patrons through the app, making the whole process of accessing library resources seamless. With Tutor.com, library patrons can access one-on-one tutoring on the go with the Boopsie app. For students or patrons whose only access to the Internet is through their mobile device, these additions to the Boopsie app will make it easier for them to use the library’s resources.
Pay-Per-Circ Streaming Pilot from Midwest Tape’s Hoopla
Hoopla, which debuted at PLA 2012, has officially launched a beta version at Seattle Public Library and Columbus (Ohio) Metro Library. Hoopla, created by Midwest Tape after three years of intensive research, allows libraries to lend out movies, TV shows, music, and audiobooks on a one-item-per-user model or a pay-per-circ model that allows for simultaneous users. The pay-per-circ model will charge around 99 cents to $2.99 per item circulated with the majority of the collection under $1.99. Hoopla’s current collection contains around 2,500 movie and TV show titles; 9,000 audiobooks from top publishers like Blackstone, Scholastic, Tantor Audio, and Dreamscape Media; and more than 200,000 music albums. In terms of music, they hope to expand to 300,000 albums and provide more new releases from record labels.
The great thing about Hoopla is that it works on multiple platforms, and can be accessed either through their website or a mobile app. Patrons will have to go through a login and authentication process, as well as choose their library, before they can start streaming their entertainment of choice. For those who are worried that the streaming might affect the patron’s experience of the product, Hoopla utilizes a new technology that allows data to be streamed faster than it is viewed. Because everything in Hoopla is on a cloud, patrons can access their titles anywhere without ever losing their place.
Acoustik Audiobook App Now Available for Public Libraries
Patrons at libraries using Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 will now be able to download audiobooks by downloading the Acoustik audiobook app by Findaway World. The app, which is compatible with Apple devices, Androids, and the Barnes & Noble Nook, lets patrons borrow and download from more than 40,000 titles available through the Acoustik app.
“The addition of Acoustik audiobooks to Axis 360 is another major step in Baker & Taylor’s ongoing mission to provide next-generation digital services to libraries, and to provide patrons with multiple formats on one user-friendly platform,” said George Coe, president of library and education at Baker & Taylor. “To help libraries serve all the interests of their communities, we continue to innovate and expand our offerings. Our partnership with Findaway World introduces a new audiobook service to the market and ensures patrons have access to the content they want—whether they want to hear it or read it.”
Cengage Learning Releases Research App Questia
Cengage Learning is offers libraries an opportunity to help students with their research by launching the Questia app that allows students to do online research on their Apple devices. Questia is a research database with more than nine million books, articles, research tools, and tutorials. With the app, you can choose to search by keywords or topics, and users can limit their result types by books, newspapers, journals, or magazine articles.
Parents Will Benefit from the Newly Launched PBS KIDS Learning App
Looking for an app to recommend to parents of young children who want to teach their kids some math and reading skills? PBS has just launched a free app called PBS Parents Play & Learn featuring 13 interactive games, 52 hands-on activities, and a free-play sticker area. Each game includes parent notes with additional information on what the skills are that their child will learn from the app and how to maximize the game’s teachings for their child. Best of all, the app is bilingual, so both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking parents can use it.
Scholastic Introduces “The Adventures of Captain Underpants” App
Any children’s librarian can tell you about the popularity of Captain Underpants, and now Scholastic has introduced an app to make The Adventures of Captain Underpants even more entertaining. The Book-A-Rama feature will read the book aloud while readers follow the pictures. Avatarpalooza lets you create your own Captain Underpants avatar and silly name. Other games let you fight Dr. Diaper or guide Captain Underpants from danger to safety. There’s even a beatbox where you can create or listen to silly songs and sounds. Fans of Captain Underpants will love this extra way to interact with the book. The app costs $4.99 and can be downloaded from the iTunes store.
