UK: Google Partners with Bloomsbury Public Library Online

From The Bookseller (UK):

Google is partnering with Bloomsbury’s Public Library Online, sponsoring two of the digital library’s virtual bookshelves from January 2012 to February 2013.
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Google copyright policy and communications management Simon Morrison said: “We have been talking to Bloomsbury for a little while. We’re sponsoring the two shelves because we share interests with the PLO; it’s useful to libraries who may have funding and space issues that prevent them from stocking more books, and it is adding another way of accessing content for users. We are interested in it because we think it is a great project, and increases access online.”

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The two shelves on offer are The Arden Shakespeare, with 10 plays that are on the GCSE National Curriculum and Our Environment, with 10 books including The Hot Topic by Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King. The project is sponsored by Google and run by Public Library Online.
Public Library Online is a subscription service for libraries, allowing them to give their users online access to books. It offers themed digital bookshelves of children’s, teen, adult fiction and non-fiction bestsellers from a range of publishers including Allen & Unwin, Alma Books, Bloomsbury, Canongate, Faber, Macmillan Education, Mercier Press, Oneworld Classics, Quercus and Verve. The service is built on the goal shared by publishers and libraries to support reading and literacy through public libraries.
Stephanie Duncan, Director of Public Library Online said:
“Public Library Online’s aims have always been to balance publishers’ wishes to support libraries and literacy, libraries’ needs to remain relevant to their communities and authors’ needs to be remunerated appropriately. We are delighted that Google has enabled every UK public library to offer these digital bookshelves to complement their existing resources.”

See Also: Learn More About Public Library Online

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