NRC-CISTI and MyiLibrary launch new eBook Loans service

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

<http://cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/media/press/myilibrary_e.html>

Ottawa, April 18, 2007 - The National Research Council's Canada 
Institute

for Scientific and Technical Information (NRC-CISTI) and 
MyiLibrary, the market leading eBook aggregator, have partnered 
to launch an innovative new service called eBook Loans, an 
electronic twist on the traditional library-interlending model. 
With the click of a mouse, eBook Loans offer instant access to 
tens of thousands of electronic books from major scholarly 
publishers, including Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, Blackwell and 
Springer.

Libraries in particular will benefit from the service by reducing 
the costs associated with processing interlibrary loans, as well 
as tracking, receiving and returning loaned material. In 
addition, publishers will benefit from a new channel to market 
for their content, which creates a new and previously untapped 
source of revenue, while users gain instant access to the eBook 
they require.

Each loan costs US$25, payable online using a credit card. Users 
have access to an eBook for 30 days through a URL received in an 
e-mail immediately after payment has been received. There is no 
need to return a borrowed eBook because the link expires 
automatically, and there is no need to worry about lost or 
damaged books.

"While the one-off purchase of electronic journal articles is now 
commonplace in the market, the interlibrary loaning of eBooks as 
a business line is not a current market offering. This new eBooks 
Loans service presents a unique opportunity for NRC-CISTI and 
MyiLibrary to fill a market niche by offering temporary access to 
an eBook to another library or library user when they choose not 
to buy," says Michael Ireland, Director, Information Access and 
Delivery, NRC-CISTI.

"This launch is the culmination of months of tireless research 
into how to develop a robust and intuitive interlibrary loan 
system that easily integrates into library workflows. The ability 
to deliver the content instantaneously is a key feature of this 
service, and one we believe will help libraries service the needs 
of their patrons in the most effective way possible," says James 
Gray, CEO and President of Ingram Digital Group, parent company 
of MyiLibrary.

Librarians and others keen to access this new service should 
visit the CISTI Catalogue at 
<http://cat.cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/search> and select the 
"MyiLibrary eBook Loans" link.

All MyiLibrary eBooks in the CISTI Catalogue will display a 
"Borrow this eBook" button in the detailed record. This button 
links to the MyiLibrary site, where first-time users will be 
asked to register.

About the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information

Recognized globally for research and innovation, Canada's 
National Research Council is a leader in developing an 
innovative, knowledge-based economy for Canada through science 
and technology. The NRC-Canada Institute for Scientific and 
Technical Information (CISTI) is one of the world's leading 
sources for information in all areas of science, technology, 
medicine and engineering. It is also Canada's foremost publisher 
of scientific journals and books, through the NRC Research Press, 
its publishing arm. With the ever-growing knowledge-based 
economy, NRC-CISTI is also increasingly considered a key 
strategic component of Canada's science and technology 
information infrastructure.

For more information about NRC, visit <http://nrc-cnrc.gc.ca>

For more information about NRC-CISTI, visit 
<http://cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca>

About Ingram Digital Group

Ingram Digital Group, an operating division of Ingram Industries 
Inc., provides publishers and other content owners with a 
comprehensive offering of digital content accession, storage, 
management and distribution services. Ingram Digital Group along 
with its group companies MyiLibrary and Vital Source Technologies 
provides a full-service array of digital solutions and support. 
The Ingram companies-including Ingram Digital, Ingram Book Group 
and Lightning Source Inc.-provide a broad range of physical and 
digital services to the industry. For more information, visit 
<http://www.ingramdigital.com>

About MyiLibrary

MyiLibrary, an Ingram Digital Group company, is a global provider 
of digital content accession, storage, management and delivery 
services to publishers and other content owners. MyiLibrary 
specializes in the production of world-class technology solutions 
for the distribution and hosting of electronic books, journals 
and other content. MyiLibrary provides e-Book titles from 
academic, commercial, and governmental publishers throughout the 
world. For more information, visit <http://www.myilibrary.com>

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For more information on this announcement, contact:

Karen Hlady
Marketing Officer
National Research Council
Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information
Tel: 613-991-5476 or 1-800-668-1222
Fax: 613-952-8244
E-mail: karen.hlady@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca or Media.CISTI@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Ed Hallett
Customer Services, MyiLibrary
ehallett@myilibrary.com