From the press release:
OverDrive, the leading global distributor of eBooks and audiobooks to libraries, schools and retailers, is accelerating its growth with the opening of a new office in Melbourne, Australia. OverDrive Australia supports the company’s ongoing effort to deepen its relationships with library, publisher and bookseller partners in Australia, New Zealand and throughout the Asia Pacific region. At the Australian Library and Information Association Conference (Booth 24) in Sydney, July 10-13, OverDrive will introduce its new team members and showcase Next Generation services that enable instant access to eBooks and audiobooks, rich integration of digital content and a streamlined user experience.
OverDrive Australia will provide enhanced service and valuable new channels for the digital distributor’s partners in the region, including those of Booki.sh, the Australian eBook company acquired in March. OverDrive currently serves more than 100 libraries and schools in Australia and New Zealand—including Auckland City Libraries, University of Technology Sydney, andBrisbane Catholic Education—and the Melbourne office will provide local, personalized training and tech support. Dozens of Australian publisher partners—such as New Holland Publishers,Text Publishing Company and NewSouth Books—will benefit from increased exposure throughout OverDrive’s network of libraries, schools and booksellers, including Adelaide-basedBooku and Melbourne-based Readings. OverDrive is also working with authorized resellerSoftlink to expand its digital content services for schools in Australia.
The Melbourne office will provide a hub for broadening relationships throughout the Asia Pacific region. OverDrive currently hosts “virtual libraries” in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, and partnerships with publishers like Cloudary in China and Kodansha in Japan enrich OverDrive’s catalog with popular content for readers in Asia and beyond.
Peter Haasz manages business development for OverDrive Australia and has been working alongside the Australia-based engineering team to integrate HTML5 technology into the recently announced browser-based eReading platform OverDrive Read. “With OverDrive Australia, we have an established and growing team, and we’re collaborating with our colleagues in the U.S. to launch our Next Generation digital library platform,” says Haasz. “Moving forward, we’ll be adding new positions in order to serve more and more partners throughout the region.”
According to OverDrive’s vice president of international sales, Claudia Weissman, the Melbourne office plays a vital role in the company’s strategic plans. “The new office demonstrates our commitment to serving our Asia Pacific partners and growing our business internationally,” says Weissman. “From our base in Melbourne, we’re supporting these relationships and further extending OverDrive’s proven services for libraries, publishers, booksellers and readers.”
Thanks to Michael von Glahn.
