Hi,

If I'm not mistaken, this would require ebook vendors to expand their 
APIs to include the ability to checkout and download. I know of no 
vendor who does this.

But maybe I'm wrong on both counts...

Erik.

--
Erik Sandall, MLIS
Electronic Services Librarian & Webmaster
Mechanics' Institute
57 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
415-393-0111
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On 3/24/2015 5:31 PM, Becky Schneider wrote:
> Here is an article that explores how such an app could be developed using
> existing technology:
>
> http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2013/building-a-community-of-readers-social-reading-and-an-aggregated-ebook-reading-app-for-libraries/
>
> Becky Schneider
> Reference Librarian
> Fauquier County Public Library
>
> On Tue, Mar 24, 2015 at 7:39 PM, Lauren Magnuson <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> I'm curious to know if anyone has explored creating a mobile app for their
>> library that would facilitate downloading /reading library ebooks from
>> multiple library ebook vendors.  I'm envisioning an app that would allow
>> the user to browse ebooks from multiple platforms (e.g., ebrary, EBSCO) and
>> enable downloading and DRM management stuff right in the app.
>>
>> I can think of a million roadblocks to creating something like this
>> (publishers, vendors, Adobe, etc.)  But I can also think of a lot of good
>> reasons why this would be very useful (the process to download an ebook
>> from an academic library is, for the most part, ludicrous).
>>
>> I know there's Overdrive - and ebrary has it's own app, or whatever, and
>> there are apps like Bluefire that can be used with library ebooks - but
>> something non-platform specific that could conceivably work for multiple
>> library ebook platforms (and be customized by a library to allow the reader
>> to browse collections) is what I have in mind.  I also really dig this
>> Reader's First (http://readersfirst.org/) initiative, which it looks like
>> is wrangling with a lot of the policy /vendor side of things.
>>
>> Feel free to contact me off list with any information / ideas / advice.
>> This feels like a kind of enormous problem, and a lot of libraries could
>> benefit from a group working toward a technical solution - but perhaps such
>> a group / initiative already exists?
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>>
>> Lauren Magnuson
>> Systems & Emerging Technologies Librarian, CSU Northridge
>> Development Coordinator, PALNI
>>