Consortium in United Kingdom to access netLibrary eBooks

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA,  6 February 2004 —The North West Academic Libraries consortium of university and higher education institutions in the United Kingdom, together with Keele University, have purchased access to12,000 netLibrary eBook titles, the largest collection of eBooks in Europe serving more than 160,000 students.

Under an agreement facilitated by OCLC PICA, members of the North West Academic Libraries (NoWAL) consortium will have access to an evolving collection of netLibrary eBook titles through a program that extends through June 2006.  NoWAL member institutions will have the opportunity to gain access to new titles as they become available through netLibrary, the leading provider of eBooks in libraries worldwide.

“This multi-year eBook program, developed with NoWAL, is an excellent example of teamwork aimed at implementing a flexible approach for acquiring digital content that serves the needs of libraries, patrons, and publishers,” said Rich Rosy, Corporate Vice President of netLibrary.  “This program is important because it will create the largest collection of eBooks in Europe, but it also underscores the power of digital content and cutting edge technology to enhance research and learning opportunities for a wide range of students across diverse subject areas.”

NoWAL was formed in 2000 as a result of a shared commitment to improving the quality of library services through collaboration.  The netLibrary agreement builds on that commitment, and provides the power and flexibility of digital content that students will expect in the future.

“The benefits to our students are huge,” said Dame Sandra Burslem, Vice-Chancellor of the Manchester Metropolitan University.  “Increasingly, we rely upon various combinations of virtual, distance, independent modes of delivery and, as we all know, our students increasingly have difficulty juggling their time to complete their studies and to maintain the part-time jobs that are increasingly necessary.  And even if we were able to keep our libraries open round the clock (which we aren’t), it is not always convenient for students to visit them at awkward hours.  So the ability to study anywhere, any time is a real boon.”

NOWAL will provide a large collection of high quality academic content in digital form.  The agreement with netLibrary will allow NoWAL members to access a comprehensive collection of eBook material ranging from classic works of fiction, academic monographs, reference works and training guides to recommended background reading and high-demand short loan items.

Users can quickly access eBooks from any PC with Internet access, both on and off campus.

“The netLibrary agreement is a truly exciting development for us, building on existing approaches to sharing resources whilst making a breakthrough in the delivery of electronic books in the UK,” said Maxine Melling, Chair of NoWAL.  “NoWAL looks forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with netLibrary.”

“Students have come to expect electronic access to a variety of materials held in libraries,” said Janet Lees, Sales Director, OCLC PICA.  “With access to more than 12,000 eBook titles from netLibrary, NoWAL libraries are exceeding students’ expectations.”

The netLibrary eBook collection will support academic study and research for more than 160,000 students at the following 13 institutions:  Bolton Institute of Higher Education, University College Chester, Edge Hill College of Higher Education, Lancaster University, Liverpool Hope University College, Liverpool John Moores University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Saint Martin’s College, UMIST, University of Central Lancashire, University of Manchester, University of Salford and Keele University, which is not part of NoWAL.

About NoWAL

NoWAL (North West Academic Libraries) is consortium of higher education libraries in the North West of England dedicated to improvement of library services to users through collaborative efforts.  Its activities include joint procurement of library materials, staff training and development, etc.

About netLibrary

netLibrary, a division of OCLC, develops, hosts, maintains and preserves electronic book collections for academic, corporate, public and school libraries.  Thousands of libraries worldwide are currently providing netLibrary eBooks to their users. netLibrary is based in Boulder, Colorado.

About OCLC PICA

Headquartered in Leiden the Netherlands, OCLC PICA is a European Library Co-operative with regional offices in Birmingham and Paris.  OCLC PICA www.oclcpica.org/ offers an extensive range of leading edge products and services for both library professionals and library end users.

About OCLC

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing and preservation services to 45,000 libraries in 84 countries and territories.  For more information, visit www.oclc.org.

Find out more about OCLC

OCLC y WorldCat son marcas comerciales y/o marcas de servicios de OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.