At the recent NSW.net eLending and the Digital Library Seminar, keynote presenter Jamie LaRue provided an overview of the innovative Douglas County Library eContent platform model. Since Jamie’s presentation an announcement has been made that the DCL model will be upscaled to a whole of state solution for the Colorado public library network.
The eVoke 2.0 eBook Project http://www.evokecolorado.info/ will be funded by a Colorado Library Service and Technology Act grant. A summary of the grant application is available on the project website .
The overall aim of the project is to bring eContent access to all libraries in Colorado and to break through restrictions imposed on library eBooks by the major publishers. The project also aims to:
- Provide more digital content to Colorado public libraries and their communities via a bespoke eContent management module which will have the required functionality to handle purchasing, cataloging, discovery, and circulation workflows for eBooks. The platform will also have the necessary API’s to deeply integrate with the various library management systems utilised throughout the state.
- Access mid-list, independent, or self-published works (and perhaps titles from major publishers eventually)
- Publish or share library-produced digital works, such as local histories.
- Enhance purchasing power for all libraries.
More detailed information can be obtained from the FAQ section of the project website.