The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group and its sister company, distributor National Book Network, have reached an agreement with 3M Library Systems to offer their content through the company’s 3M Cloud Library eBook Lending Service. The 3M Cloud Library is a new e-book lending technology model that allows library patrons to browse and read content via in-library terminals and hardware and to borrow titles via apps and personal devices.

The 3M company has been rolling out the new technology over the last year. The 3M Cloud Library e-book Lending Service provides library patrons access to digital content via wireless browsing and borrowing as well as off-line reading. Patrons have a personal account and can make use of 3M Cloud Library devices or their personal iPads, iPods or personal computers to access their cloud-based accounts. Accounts can be synched across multiple devices. The service also provides libraries with graphical terminals that allow patrons to easily browse content and choose titles to borrow.

3M Cloud Library offers about 100,000 e-book titles to borrow. The new agreement with Rowan & Littlefield and NBN and its 75 publisher-clients will add more than 1,700 titles to the 3M Cloud Library. Titles from NBM should begin circulating through the 3M Cloud Library in about 90 days.

Jed Lyon, president and CEO of RLPG and NBN, said “We are very excited to partner with 3M and have the great content we offer through both the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group and National Book Network Fusion publishers available with their innovative 3M Cloud Library eBook Lending Service.”