Statewide eBooks Project : Baker & Taylor/Axis 360 Partnering With eRead Illinois

From B&T:

Baker & Taylor has been selected as a platform partner with the Illinois State Library and Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS), to provide ebook circulation services for Illinois libraries as part of the new eRead Illinois project.
The project will provide Illinois library users [across Public Academic, K-12 libraries] with shared access to a robust ebook collection and the capability for participating libraries to craft local collections to meet the needs of their individual communities
Libraries participating in the eRead Illinois program will combine their resources and access to ebooks through Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 digital media circulation platform.
The collaboration is made possible through a pioneering two-year, $985,219 grant from the Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White through the Illinois State Library.

Read the Complete Announcement
Learn More About eRead Illinois

It includes an e-book collection and Axis 360 software platform from Baker & Taylor for RAILS members and IHLS non-Share members. [Our emphasis] IHLS Share members will use 3M Cloud. The grant also includes research into a self-hosted model, training, a list of free e-book resources, a website, and assistance to libraries in promoting the project.
Baker & Taylor is limiting participation in the Axis 360 shared collection to public libraries with annual circulation under one million, and to academic and school libraries with FTEs under 25,000, where FTE includes faculty and students, but not support staff. Libraries that exceed these limits may participate in the shared collection if they also purchase their own Axis 360 collection. Special libraries providing services to nonprofit, state governmental, or local governmental agencies can participate as long as they are only providing e-book access to employees or other qualified members; however, Baker & Taylor will not permit participation by corporate libraries and other for-profit entities. If a library has its own Axis 360 collection and participates in the RAILS shared collection, it will appear to logged-in patrons as a single collection.
Pricing will be based on a membership fee of $250/year, 0.5% of collection budget and a fee based on population.
Libraries that commit to participation by November 1 will receive free access in December. Libraries serving populations less than 1,000 will pay only the $250/year membership fee, and that will be waived for six months for libraries that commit by November 1. The initial commitment will be for 12 months (through December 2014).

See Also: eRead Illinois FAQ
See Also: PDA: Ingram Will Manage Chicago Public Library’s Patron Driven Acquisition Pilot For Print Books

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