For Immediate Release
April 18, 2014
Patrons May Now Download and Keep Over 200 Classics
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. Santa Clara County Library District Libraries (SCCLD) now offer for free over 200 works of classic literature in multiple eBook formats as part of its “Always Available eBook Classics” collection. Readers can download these titles for free without a library card on their electronic devices, and keep them forever, with no expiration date.
In June 2013, the California State Library for a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) awarded SCCLD $40,000 by to develop a simple, more expedient way of providing ‘on demand’ eBooks to library users through an existing library catalog platform. SCCLD’s “Always Available eBook Classics” collection was created in response to this need.
SCCLD identified classic literature titles no longer under copyright restrictions, and added these titles to its eBook collection. These eBooks are available through the SCCLD library catalog and multiple individuals may now access a single title simultaneously. The eBooks are readily available in Kindle and ePub formats, with links to additional eBook formats on the OpenLibrary website: https://openlibrary.org.
“As a library system located in the heart of Silicon Valley, it made sense for SCCLD to develop and offer an innovative and technical solution which improves eBook access,” said Nancy Howe, Santa Clara County Librarian. “We are very excited about this new offering and hope libraries throughout the country will be able to replicate this program to make it easier for the public to gain access to popular classic literature.”
“Each month, on average, our patrons borrow 500 eBook classic titles, and more than 10,000 eBooks overall from our catalog,” said Carol Frost, Deputy County Librarian. “We expect students as well as lovers of classic literature to greatly benefit from the addition of the ’Always Available eBook Classics’ collection.”
No longer will students need to wait weeks to access these titles; in fact, entire English classes will be able to download the same book to multiple devices simultaneously and save thousands of dollars in the process. As an added benefit, students will be able to keep these downloaded classics forever and read them at their own pace.
About the Santa Clara County Library District
Known as one of America’s best 100 public libraries, the Santa Clara County Library District promotes knowledge, ideas, and cultural enrichment. Its collection includes more than 1.9 million books, videos, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, eBooks and extensive online resources accessible from home or work.
For twelve years, the Library has ranked as one of the best in the nation for its size by Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings. Also recognized as one of America’s 2013 Five Star Libraries by Library Journal, the Santa Clara County Library District is one of the most-used public resources in the region.
The Santa Clara County Library District includes two bookmobiles, an online library, seven community libraries and one branch library serving Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. In 2013, the Santa Clara County Library District had more than 215,000 library cardholders and welcomed 3.2 million visitors who borrowed 9.7 million items. Visit Santa Clara County Library District online at www.sccl.org.
Contact:
Gwendolyn Mitchell/Marina Hinestrosa
Office of Public Affairs
(408) 299-5119
Derek Wolfgram/Mark Fink/Lili Smith
Santa Clara County Library District
(408) 293-2326 ext. 3002/3010/3014
