UPDATE: 10am (Jan. 16, 2014): We’ve updated this post with some additional facts. You’ll find them at the bottom of this post. 

From OverDrive and Simon & Schuster:

Simon & Schuster and OverDrive today announced a pilot launch of the Simon & Schuster eBook catalog for select OverDrive partner public libraries in the United States.

Simon & Schuster’s full catalog of eBook titles are available for pilot libraries to purchase for lending to their readers, or for readers to purchase through their library’s website with the new Library BIN (Buy It Now) option.

In an expansion of its existing eBook library pilot program, Simon & Schuster has selected 31 public libraries in the OverDrive network to participate.

15 libraries have already places orders with Overdrive and they’re listed below.

Library Licensing and Patron Purchase Details

As part of Simon & Schuster’s and OverDrive’s pilot, each eBook purchased for lending can be checked out an unlimited number of times on a one copy/one user basis for a period of 12 months.

Alternately, patrons can purchase the eBook from the library website and support their local libraries. Simon & Schuster’s full catalog of frontlist and backlist titles is eligible for the program, with all new titles available simultaneous with publication.

[Note: These details are identical to what was announced last April when the S&S/New York libraries pilot was announced. More info below.]

S&S Comments

 “We are pleased to expand our eBook distribution in libraries through this pilot with OverDrive,” said Doug Stambaugh, Vice President, Global eBook Market Development and Strategy for Simon & Schuster. “We look forward to providing access to our titles to many more thousands of avid readers, and furthering our understanding of lending patterns and patron behavior with eBooks through this wider test of a new library model.”

Simon & Schuster publishes approximately 2,000 titles annually.

Participating Libraries (So Far)

Of the 31 libraries (including consortia) selected by S&S to participate in the pilot, here’s a list of 15 who have already placed orders with OverDrive:

Boston Public Library, MA Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH District of Columbia Public Library, DC Douglas County Libraries, CO Greater Phoenix Digital Library, AZ
[10 City/County/State Public Library Systems in Central Arizona] Kent District Library, MI King County Library System, WA Lee County Library System, FL Nashville Public Library, TN North Carolina Digital Library, NC Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH San Antonio Public Library, TX The Free Library of Philadelphia, PA Maryland Digital Library, MD [Statewide Group] Background

Simon and Schuster began licensing ebooks to libraries when they launched a pilot program with the New York Public Library (NYPL), the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), and the Queens Library at the end of April 2013.

Here’s coverage of that announcement from Matt Ennis at The Digital Shift and the formal news release.

Pilot Expands into Canada

About a month ago we shared the news that the Simon & Schuster library ebooks pilot had expanded into Canada with the Edmonton Public Library making 2,000 S&S titles available to cardholders.

UPDATE

1. This is the first time Simon & Schuster is working with OverDrive. The “New York” and Canadian pilots worked with 3M, B&T, Bibliocommons who we’ve been told have added some additional library partners along the way.

2. How did S&S select ibrary partners?

S&S told us:

We wanted geographic diversity that would yield a good cross-section of data about how our books were being loaned and purchased all around the country, and to work with a variety of different kinds of libraries and systems.

3. A couple of months ago the Orange County Public Library (Orlando, FL area) began providing access to some S&S titles via Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 service.