HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 10-08 E-Book lovers shouldn't worry about 3M's library division sale PIONEER PRESS E-book lovers shouldn't worry about
3M's library division sale
By Julio Ojeda-Zapata
jojeda�pioneepress.com(mailto:jojeda@pioneerpress.com?subject=TwinCities.com:)
POSTED'. 10/082075 12:�7:00 AM CDT
UPDATED: 10/082015 05'.38�.20 PM CDT
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Book lovers would be forgiven for feeling alarm at the news that 3M has sold off its libra,-svst ms
divis�on(}ItYD'//SOIUUOtIC Zm ron7/q.p5/D � �M/Pn /li r ry�vstems NA/li tarv
technolog�ec/1,which�s responsible for the�tM Cloud Libr�yr
(htto•//www�tm�om/y�/li r ry�eBook/1 ebook-lending service.
They can relax.
Cloud Library,a service sold to public libraries so those entities can lend ebooks to patrons,will
remain in actiae development under the new ownership,Switzerland-based Bibliotheca
(httu•//www bibliothera o m/�t/ind ��pl�p n us/),the former 3M division said.
Bibliotheca,a]ongtime 3M competitor in the library-systems space,acquired the Maplewood-
based company's library systems��a Bibliotheca's shareholder company One .quity Partner�
(httu://www nnePq�y��m/�,g�bliotheca said it is now combining with that former 3M division
under a Bi liotheca('roun(http•//www bibliothP a nm/�index p(7D S ��,
media/elobal-�ress-rg�easPC/sao-hihl;�rhP� _�-�noun Pc cinn f' ant �brand.
The transaction was revealed Wednesday;terms were not disclosed.
But for Cloud Library devotees,essentially nothing will change.The ioo or so former 3M
employees responsible for the ebook service will continue working on it,said business manager
Matt Tempelis.
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St 5 roa,c w�ves v�RCF�s¢o oAr o:'' the east metro,and this week he checked out
'^�` } s possible office space in Woodbury.
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��101 STM AVE S,BAYPO RT.M N But the Swiss company had little to offer in the
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ebook-lending market.It was developing a
similar service,but"that was very much in its
infancy,"Audy Chadbourue,Bibliotheca's liead of global marketiug,said.
�ook lovers shouldn't warry about 3M's library division sale - TwinC
"It's pretty clear tl�at Cloud Library is the domivant product,"Chadbourne said."We are
absolutely committed to not only contiuuing with this product,but investiug seriously to
make it bigger and better than ever,"
Adding Cloud Library to the Bibliotheca portfolio will allow the e-book service to accelerate its
international expansion,he added.The service was already deploying in Canada,the United
Kingdom,Australia and New Zealand.
"IYs a product we can take into other regions straight away,"he said.
Tempelis added,"We have a lot of cool thiugs on tl�e road map.The general message is,
notUing changes."
Cloud Library competes with another ebook-lending service called OverDrive
(http�//www.overdrive.comQ,which also offers audiobook-lending capability.Cloud Library
recently added that feature.
Cloud Library also upgraded its public kiosks in libraries to allow borrowing directly on those
devices.The kiosks had previously been used only for browsing while patrons checked out books
on their PCs and mobile devices.
The kiosks can be found in branches of the St.Paul Public Library,which is among several Twin
Cities public-library branches that offer Cloud Librarv along with OverDrive
(http://www.sppl.org/ebooksl services.
For Tempelis and his team,being a small group inside a gigantic compa�y like 3M"had its benefits
and had its challenges.We're excited about being a medium-size company in the Twin Cities."
Find Julio Ojeda-Zapnta at oiezap.cam(httn;,(/o'�ezap.com).