The Massachusetts Library System together with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioner’s (MBLC) Statewide Resource Sharing Committee have chosen BiblioLabs’ flagship product BiblioBoard to participate in the MA eBook Project, an innovative project designed to expand access to eBooks for the state's multi-type libraries.

“This is a direct response to our member libraries throughout Massachusetts who have made it clear that eContent is a statewide imperative. This project is our first step aimed at fixing that problem for our entire state and the wide range of libraries we serve,” said Gregory Pronevitz, Mass. Library System Executive Director. “It is heartwarming to see this project launch after so much work from our member libraries and from staff here and at MBLC.”

Initially, BiblioLabs will make over 30,000 eBooks and other materials available on an unlimited multi-user basis to pilot libraries via BiblioBoard -- it’s PatronsFirst™ library platform. BiblioLabs was selected for this project because of its unique patron platform that not only does away with checkouts and waiting lists for eBooks, but is also a publishing platform for libraries with special collections to make those collections easily available to patrons.

BiblioLabs offers Massachusetts’ 1,700 libraries an innovative and award-winning eBook content platform, that gives users the ability to access curated collections of books, images, documents, artifacts, ephemera, audio and video related to specific themes. This multimedia experience is built around high-resolution primary source historical content and a growing library of contemporary publisher content including children’s books, graphic novels, comics and contemporary non-fiction. Users can access BiblioBoard on a web browser, or the award-winning native apps for iPad, Kindle Fire HD, Nexus 7, or Galaxy Tab.

BiblioLabs’ Founder and Chief Business Officer, Mitchell Davis, an entrepreneur who was also the founder of Amazon's CreateSpace (formerly BookSurge) is inspired by the spirit of library entrepreneurialism in this project.

"We are working with Massachusetts as a true business partner. We are engaging with publishers who want to license content to libraries in a patron-friendly way that moves away from awkward and confusing interfaces. We have been pleasantly surprised by the number of publishers who are behind this movement, and who believe this is the future of libraries," said Mitchell Davis.

One of the publishers participating in the pilot is Bluewater Press, a publisher of hyper-contemporary comics and graphic novels. Darren Davis, Founder and Publisher of Bluewater Press, believes publishers will embrace this patron friendly approach.

“This is a pretty amazing partnership. I was a library kid growing up and to see how they are embracing digital content thrills me. Libraries have always been a huge part of our outreach because of positive impact they have on communities. To view what BiblioBoard has done is mind blowing and it will make it easier for librarians to purchase and share materials with their patrons,” said Darren Davis.

The pilot project, involving 51 multi-type libraries, was conceived by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioner’s (MBLC) Statewide Resource Sharing Committee to respond to growing interest in the Massachusetts library community to explore new models and to expand the reach of eBooks for Massachusetts’ library users. The MA eBook Project is made possible through funding from the Massachusetts Library System and through LSTA funds administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

About the Massachusetts Library System

The Massachusetts Library System provides services to nearly 1,700 Massachusetts libraries of all types and sizes throughout the Commonwealth. As a state-supported collaborative, it fosters cooperation, communication, innovation, and sharing among member libraries of all types. The MA Library System promotes equitable access to excellent library services and resources for all who live, work, or study in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit http://www.masslibsystem.org.

Contact: Deb Hoadley

MA eBook Project Leader

508.357.2121 x309

dhoadley(at)masslibsystem(dot)org

About BiblioLabs

BiblioLabs is the creator of BiblioBoard®, the PatronsFirst™ library of digital collections of books, images, articles, audio and video from leading publishers around the world that are curated by subject and accessible from anywhere, on virtually any device, with no check outs, returns or multi-user limits. BiblioBoard is transforming access to information by providing a world-class mobile and web user experience that thrills library patrons and is sustainable for publishers. To learn more, visit http://www.biblioboard.com.

Contact: Carolyn Morris

Vice President, Digital Products

603.244.6925

carolyn(at)bibliolabs(dot)com

http://biblioboard.com/

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/12/prweb11387782.htm