This is a very interesting development in eBook access from Local Knowledge Online (LKO) and ebrary. It’s not for libraries, but for individuals. LKO is offering individuals a subscription plan to ebrary’s business collections. Monthly subscription prices range from $9.99 to $25.00 depending on the collection (single-user license only). Quarterly and annual subscription rates are also available ($27.99 – $240.00). According to Kevin Cronin, Founder and President of LKO, “the primary difference between individuals vs library customers subscribing to ebrary is discovery. Instead of discovering ebrary content via a library OPAC, individuals will discover the ebrary content via LKO’s federated search.”
Cronin described the access process:
The ebrary content is discovered through an LKO’s search – http://www.localknowledgeonline.com/ We are federating eBook search and consolidating results which will now include titles from ebrary business collections. Users will have single sign-on registration (user name/password) through our site and subscribing ebrary users will be linked directly into the ebrary content when they select a title. Users without an ebrary subscription will have options for a limited preview of the ebrary collection, sign up for a free trial or subscribe to ebrary. Individuals that subscribe to ebrary will have the same ebrary experience as institutional library users. If you visit our preview site you’ll see the familiar ebrary interface – http://site.ebrary.com/lib/localkobctp/home.action
I suspect we will see more of this in the future from a variety of eBook vendors. Here’s more from the press release:
Local Knowledge Online (LKO), today announced ebrary®, a ProQuest business and leading provider of eBooks and research technology, as its newest eBook content partner. Individuals may freely search and browse a comprehensive and current selection of business eBooks from ebrary’s growing collections and for the first time, have the option of subscribing to these collections.
“When ‘locals’ have knowledge that is of interest and value to others, it is referred to as ‘local knowledge’. This knowledge is not always freely accessible or shared with outsiders,” says Kevin Cronin, Founder and President of Local Knowledge Online. “In the online world, local knowledge is hidden or buried in the ‘deep’ Web beyond the reach of conventional search engines and individuals primarily for economic reasons. LKO provides full-text searching, aggregated results, and affordable access to the valuable information securely protected in eReference and eBook databases like ebrary.”
ebrary combines the greatest value and flexibility in business eBooks:
- Reliable information you can trust
- New content added at no cost
- Available 24×7
- Seamless linking to trusted sources
- Free Title Preview
ebrary offers a comprehensive and current selection of eBooks from trusted publishers in all areas of business. Key Publishers include AMACOM, Elsevier, Emerald Group, John Wiley & Sons, Kogan Page and more.
Available today, individual subscriptions to ebrary business eBook collections:
- ebrary General Business – Over 1,700 titles and growing
- ebrary Leadership – Nearly 600 titles and growing
- ebrary Sales & Marketing – Nearly 600 titles and growing
- ebrary Finance – Nearly 600 titles and growing
“In today’s economy, business skills are increasingly critical for individuals seeking to expand or initiate their careers,” said Kevin Sayar, President and General Manager of ebrary. “By furthering our long-time partnership with LKO, we can now offer individuals access to authoritative business information historically only available to them if their employer licensed our eBook collections. We look forward to working with LKO to help individuals be more productive and successful.”
Key features and benefits of LKO include the following:
- eBook search and discovery for professional eBook and eReference content
- Consolidated search results for ebrary, Credo Reference, Amazon and Google Books
- Options for individuals to preview, buy, or subscribe to individual eBooks and collections
- Browser-based access to content, no eReader required
- Trusted, authoritative content from premier publishers
About ebrary (http://www.ebrary.com)
ebrary is a leading provider of e-books and research technology to libraries worldwide. Founded in 1999, the company offers more than 273,000 e-books from over 500 trusted publishers under flexible models including subscription, perpetual archive (purchase), patron driven acquisition, and short-term loans. As YBP Library Service’s preferred e-book partner, ebrary’s titles are available in GOBI™, as well as YBP’s Approval and Demand Driven Acquisition (DDA) service. ebrary is the only e-book provider that enables customers to upload and integrate their own digital materials right from their computers with DASH!™ (Data Sharing, Fast) technology as well as apply cross-referencing with multiple online resources with InfoTools™ technology. A ProQuest® business, ebrary is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, USA.
About Local Knowledge Online (LKO)
Local Knowledge Online (http://www.localko.com/) is a new search and discovery tool for eBooks enabling knowledge, information and business professionals to search, discover, preview, buy and subscribe to eBooks. Together with our eContent partners, ebrary and Credo Reference, we offer affordable access for individuals to the most current, relevant, and authoritative information available online. The company is headquartered in California.
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