This quarter I would like to make readers aware of a pending expansion of the MCLS online ebook and audiobook collection. Over the past ten months the MCLS has participated in discussions with other Arkansas libraries, coordinated by the State Library, to greatly expand the collection of titles in Overdrive, our online e-book and audiobook platform. Currently the MCLS is part of a consortium known as Ebook Connection (AR). This group has shared access to titles purchased by West Memphis Public Library, as well as Crittenden, Conway, Lonoke, and Mississippi County Libraries.
In the months ahead, this consortium will merge with a second consortium of ten other county and regional libraries to expand holdings from approximately 6,000 to over 10,000 titles. Other Arkansas libraries will be able to join the merged consortium as it solidifies. The State Library is allocating funding in the first year to bring the pool of consortium purchasing funds to $127,000. This is far more that what the MCLS could accomplish on its own.
If you have not yet used Overdrive ebooks and audiobooks, start at
https://meet.libbyapp.com to download the Libby App for your phone, tablet, and/or computer. To access the consortium’s titles, you will need to have a four-digit PIN associated with your MCLS library card. Please call the Blytheville Public Library at 870-762-2431 or Osceola Public Library at 870-563-2721 if you do not have a registered PIN or if you have need of further assistance.
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