OverDrive To Feature More Open Content and Catalog
Opening of Tools of Change conference brings news of improvements to the ebook and media vendor's platform
-- Library Journal, 02/23/2010
- Company will offer DRM-free ebooks in multiple formats
- More access to catalog contents coming APIs and other sources
- Products aimed at netbooks, tablets
- Real-time stats dashboard in the works
Just in time for the O'Reilly Tools of Change conference that started yesterday in New York City, ebook and media platform vendor OverDrive announced a new set of services for 2010, catering to both its publishing and library clients.
Heading the list of features soon to be on offer is more open content—seemingly a tacit if not explicit acknowledgment that digital rights management (DRM) is among the most significant frustrations for librarians.
To highlight its new Content Reserve Plus, OverDrive says it will demonstrate "interactive educational eBook products including 'read aloud' features and DRM-free eBooks in 'Open EPUB' and 'Open PDF' formats" at the Public Library Association conference in Portland, OR, in March.
OverDrive also said it will offer:
- A more open platform, using APIs and other standards-based data access methods, and will allow others to build apps that allow direct access to catalogs on its platform,
- An "OverDrive Dashboard" to highlight real-time collection statistics and charts, and
- A new version of the company's download station, through which users acquire materials, and transfer them to other devices. The company also says it is "working with several PC, Tablet, Netbook, and eReader device manufacturers who will introduce products specifically designed for use in schools, libraries," and other institutions.
See the story from Publishers Weekly for some of OverDrive's other publishing initiatives.
