Libraries in Taiwan, Hong Kong build NetLibrary eBook collection

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA,  27 January 2006—Forty-eight university libraries in Taiwan and Hong Kong have purchased more than 50,000 OCLC NetLibrary eBooks under an extraordinary cooperative agreement that crosses geographical boundaries.

Under the agreement, the English-language NetLibrary eBooks in Biology and Life Sciences; Business, Economics and Management; History; Literature; Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing; and many other subject areas will be available electronically anytime, anywhere through the NetLibrary eBook platform.  The eBook collection is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.

"This agreement goes beyond territorial borders and brings together people and institutions interested in providing electronic resources to meet the needs of all libraries in the region.  Together, we have created a comprehensive program of innovation and service to libraries—for all library users," said Prof. Hsianghoo Steve Ching, University Librarian at the City University of Hong Kong.  Prof. Ching was formerly Library Director of Feng Chia University in Taichung, Taiwan, where he led the Taiwan eBook Network (TEBNET) effort to bring NetLibrary eBooks to 11 university libraries.

"As broadband internet access becomes more popular in the region, students will prefer self-directed learning over directed learning," said Dr. Jerry Yu, Chief Information Officer at the City University of Hong Kong.  "This 'Super eBook Collection' fits well into our global learning model, allowing students the freedom to generate their own academic discussions and to share resources in order to achieve better academic results."

Dr. An Chi Liu, President of Feng Chia University, said that "an eBook library is an indispensable learning platform for today's knowledge-based society.  It allows students to access the world's most updated e-publications and benefit from the latest literature.  Through electronic platform storage, search and loan of books have been upgraded to further relieve the physical burden on libraries."

Fan Sun-lu, Taiwan Deputy Minister of Education, emphasized the importance of cooperation among libraries beyond jurisdictions and boundaries.  "This agreement helps nurture a generation of new talents, facilitate international academic exchange and also support online teaching and learning," she said.

"Today's students are much more Web focused and Internet oriented," said Andrew H. Wang, Executive Director, OCLC Asia Pacific Services and New Initiatives.  "If the information is not available to them online, some students are not interested.  NetLibrary eBooks are available online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Students don't have to be in a library to find and access these books."

NetLibrary, a division of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., and a leading platform for full-text digital content in libraries worldwide, offers access to more than 107,000 full-text eBook titles to academic, public, special and school library users worldwide.

The NetLibrary platform syndicates content from more than 400 publishers and makes it available in systems serving more than 13,000 libraries worldwide.  NetLibrary titles are all represented in WorldCat, the world's largest resource for finding library materials, so metadata for these titles are available to all OCLC member libraries.  The NetLibrary catalog includes the latest information technology titles, reference essentials, business and economics resources, best-selling fiction titles and more.  NetLibrary also continually adds other forms of eContent, including eJournals, databases and eAudiobooks to its catalog to further its objective of helping libraries meet the digital demands of their users.

"The Super eBook Collection demonstrates the power of cooperation among university administrators and library directors," said Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO.  "Working together, leaders at these 48 institutions are changing the ways that libraries support research, teaching and learning.  We at OCLC are proud to be part of this exciting collaborative effort."

"Sharing information in an electronic world offers increased relevancy and increased access to more content," said Rich Rosy, Vice President, OCLC Content Management.  "eBook resources can be searched more quickly and efficiently than printed materials.  High-demand titles can be viewed more frequently.  And eBooks can be accessed and read online instantaneously, with no need to house or ship borrowed print materials.  This commitment to NetLibrary eBooks is an excellent example of how libraries can extend their investments in monograph collections."

About OCLC
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent and preservation services to 54,000 libraries in 109 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.oclc.org.

The NetLibrary division of OCLC <www.netlibrary.org> helps academic, public, corporate and special libraries create a richer, more productive learning environment for their patrons.  By combining the time-honored traditions of the library system with electronic publishing, NetLibrary offers an easy-to-use information retrieval system for accessing the full text of reference, scholarly, and professional books and other eContent.

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