Blackwell, Ingram Ink Pact to Supply e-Books
By Calvin Reid -- Publishers Weekly, 7/14/2009 5:57:00 AM
Blackwell, the U. K. academic and library wholesaler, and Ingram Digital have reached an agreement that will give Blackwell access to the 185,000 e-books in Ingram’s MyiLibrary platform for distribution to schools and libraries through Blackwell Digital’s Collection Manager.MyiLibrary aggregates e-book content from major publishers as well as from government and international organizations. Blackwell’s Collection Manager allows its clients to track metadata on both print and electronic books; do searches and to place orders for titles. The service also makes experts available through Blackwell Digital to answer questions. The two companies will work together over the summer to integrate MyiLibrary’s e-book database into Collection Manager in time for the fall academic year.
Andrew Hutchings, CEO of Blackwell, called the deal “significant”and said, “Our goal has been to be a true marketplace for e-books. Adding MyiLibrary’s content base to the titles we already distribute from other aggregators and publishers makes that goal more of a reality. This agreement allows us to work with Ingram to better serve the library community throughout the world.”
Rich Rosy, v-p, general manager, Ingram Library Solutions said, “Working with Blackwell significantly broadens the base of worldwide library customers who will now have access to Ingram’s growing e-book collection.”
