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Weekly News Digest
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April 16, 2012 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.
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OverDrive to Preview Library Ebook Data at London Book Fair
OverDrive will announce the first of a series of Big Data reports analyzing billions of ebook impressions and other data collected from across its network of 18,000 public and school libraries at the London Book Fair April 16-18, 2012. Data from OverDrive’s global library network to be made available to participating libraries and publishers includes information about ebook and digital audiobook title circulation, book demand and holds, as well as web traffic and general demographics. OverDrive’s data reports were developed in compliance with library privacy policies and do not include any identifying user information.In March 2012, more than 337,000 visitors a day from 219 countries browsed the OverDrive-hosted “virtual branch” websites of more than 18,000 libraries to search, discover, and sample book content. This resulted in more than 146 million page views for the month, and library visitors stayed on the sites for an average of 9.5 minutes, viewing an average 11.6 pages per visit. Also in March, OverDrive library catalog browsers viewed more than 636 million title cover images. In light of recent studies reporting on how library ebook lending drives retail sales (including Library Journal “Patron Profiles,” October 2011), the ability to understand readers’ browsing and borrowing interests is becoming an important tool for publishers’ and booksellers’ strategies. The impact of libraries on book sales was also reported in the Pew Internet report, “The Rise of e-Reading” (April 4, 2012), which concluded that the majority of readers of ebooks (61%) prefer to purchase their own copies of ebooks books rather than borrow them. The study also contained data showing that librarians and libraries are a prominent source (21%) for owners of ereading devices to get recommendations for reading materials. OverDrive library data reports will include metrics for titles, authors, series, and promotional campaigns targeting use of the materials in the OverDrive-hosted catalogs. The data initiatives are being developed in consultation with an advisory panel that includes librarians and marketing professionals from libraries in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. The program complies with library privacy policies and will not disclose any personally identifying user information. The OverDrive Library eBook Data reports are an extension of the OverDrive WIN initiatives, a suite of features that support a win-win-win relationship between libraries, publishers, and readers. Enhancing virtual library catalogs with Buy It Now, Recommend to Library, and Author Impressions features, OverDrive gives readers powerful new ways to discover new titles and connect with books and authors. OverDrive provides digital distribution services for more than 18,000 libraries, schools, and retailers worldwide with support for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Kindle (U.S. only), Sony Reader, NOOK, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry. To find a library near you, visit http://search.overdrive.com. Source: OverDrive
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Brandi Scardilli
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