"3M Branches Out with e-Readers for St. Paul Public Libraries"

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

3M Co.’s new cloud library system will touch down first in St. Paul.

With its own 3M-branded e-reader and software that’s compatible with many tablet devices, the Maplewood-based industrial manufacturer is looking to expand its presence in libraries.

The first step for that new business line comes next month, when 3M’s new e-book technology – including e-readers that can be checked out by patrons – is introduced in the St. Paul Public Library system.

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While txtr is doing the software development for 3M’s cloud library system, 3M decided to contract with a different supplier for the actual 3M-branded reader, Mercer said.

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St. Paul’s Sun Ray library branch – just blocks from 3M’s world headquarters – will be a focal point for the initial deployment of 3M’s cloud system. A 3M Discovery Terminal is set to be in place there by the middle of next month, [Tom] Mercer, [product manager for the 3M Cloud Library e-Book lending service] said.

From its broader line of library products, 3M has provided the Sun Ray branch with radio-frequency identification tags, security gates and other devices to give the branch the latest technology.

“We want (Sun Ray) to be a living lab,” for the 3M products, Mercer said. Because it’s so close by, 3M employees often are on site, and “our engineers interact with patrons and librarians.”

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Filed under: Libraries, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, Publishing