For Immediate Release
02/01/2022
Contact
Tom McMurdo, Interim State Librarian/Commissioner of Libraries
(802) 622-4012, thomas.mcmurdo@vermont.gov
The Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB) is pleased to announce agreements with two eBook and eAudiobook content providers, LYRASIS and Baker & Taylor. Both vendors provide a huge range of eContent from a wide variety of publishers. VTLIB contracted with LYRASIS to provide free access to their Palace app to all Vermonters through their local public libraries. The Palace app aggregates eBook and eAudiobook content from multiple vendors into a single interface, increasing access, ease of use, and appeal.
Palace will launch with a large collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks already in place. The Palace app will access content from Baker & Taylor as well as from Listen Up Vermont! (LUV), the statewide eBook and eAudiobook platform administered by the Green Mountain Library Consortium (GMLC). “We are excited about this effort to simplify eBook and eAudiobook access across multiple collections. It improves the ability of GMLC, the Department of Libraries, and individual public libraries to efficiently share resources in our continued work to meet Vermonters' digital needs” says Wendy Hysko, President of GMLC. “We are pleased to partner on this effort.”
The contracts with LYRASIS and Baker & Taylor provide public libraries in Vermont more options for purchasing eContent, increasing access to content from different publishers at competitive prices. By providing a more robust marketplace for libraries from which to purchase content, as well as an app allowing patrons to access content across vendors seamlessly, Vermonters will have easy access to not only the latest and greatest bestsellers, but a robust electronic library of children’s, youth, classics, and general interest titles. Current users of eBook and eAudiobooks will find more of what they want and those who have not yet explored this medium should find something that interests them and with instant access.
Building on the diligent work done by the Green Mountain Library Consortium over the last decade, the Department of Libraries is eager to take the next step in the evolution of access to eBooks and eAudiobooks in Vermont. Expect to see this rollout in Vermont communities over the next several months into summer 2022.
This project is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Vermont Department of Libraries.
Funded by a $5 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Palace Project is a division of LYRASIS working in strategic partnership with Digital Public Library of America (DPLA).
About the Vermont Department of Libraries
The Vermont Department of Libraries—housed within the Vermont Agency of Administration—supports Vermont libraries as they work to ensure access to quality information for their patrons. To learn more, visit libraries.vermont.gov and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
About IMLS
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's approximately 120,000 libraries and 35,000 museums and related organizations. The agency’s mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Its grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit http://www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.