Blackwell's Book Services Makes First Ebook Library Sale in Africa

Blackwell's Book Services Makes First Ebook Library Sale in Africa Ebook collections continue to have growing worldwide impact LAKE OSWEGO, Oregon, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) has announced the selection of Blackwell's Book Services and Ebook Library as the primary providers of print and digital materials for its Library and Information Centre. Based in Harare, Zimbabwe, the mission of the ACBF is to foster and support sustainable human and institutional capacity for poverty reduction in Africa. The Library and Information Centre is a central part of the institution's strategic mission, as it provides information and research support to local and foreign researchers, policy-makers, government ministries and staff. Kari Paulson, General Manager Ebook Library, states that "working with the African Capacity Building Foundation is a testament to the accessibility and immediacy of electronic books. That a company in West Australia can immediately fulfill an order for a library in Zimbabwe through an American distributor without any paper passing hands or borders is something to marvel at." Rowland Shuttleworth, Blackwell's Sales Manager in Africa, worked with Ebook Library to create a content list and platform that would accommodate the current and ongoing resource needs of the ACBF Library and Information Centre. Jasper Muvezwa, Library Head, saw an opportunity to provide greater access to content for both local and remote users through this unique arrangement with Ebook Library and Blackwell's Book Services. The Library and Information Centre's mission is to enable staff and other users to obtain with the greatest speed, convenience and economy, materials and information needed in the execution of their duties. With a collection strength in the development of Sub-Saharan Africa, the library provides in-house automated bibliographical and reference services to ACBF staff in support of their ongoing projects as well as acting as an information and reference center in capacity building literature to local and foreign researchers, policy-makers, staff and members of other organizations, government ministries, tertiary institutions; public sector; private sector and civil society. About Ebooks Corporation Ebooks Corporation Limited is an Australian unlisted public company, founded in 1997. Ebooks Corporation is a leading global provider of digital books. The Company has long-standing, close working relationships with key technology providers and other stakeholders in the ebook industry. Ebooks Corporation launched its retail ebook store, http://www.ebooks.com/ in September 2000. The development and deployment of eBooks.com, the world's first comprehensive bookstore, was a landmark achievement. In June 2004, launched EBL (http://www.eblib.com/) expanding its ebooks distribution to academic, research and special libraries worldwide. About Blackwell's Book Services Blackwell's Book Services has been dedicated to building relationships with librarians and publishers for over 125 years, serving over 15,000 academic, research and special libraries in 120 countries. Our personalized network of services includes approval plans, firm orders, out-of-print, standing orders, and opening day collections as well as features such as table of contents enrichment and electronic new title announcement services. Blackwell's combines longstanding methods of traditional bookselling with the latest information technology -- all tailored to each library's acquisitions needs. Blackwell's Books Services headquarters are located in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with offices in Oxford, England, Sydney, Australia, and Blackwood, New Jersey. Source: Ebooks Corporation CONTACT: Kari Paulson, General Manager, EBL of Ebooks Corporation, +61-8-9385-5851, or kari.paulson@ebooks.com; or Martha Whittaker, Vice-President, Marketing and Sales of Blackwell's Book Services, martha.whittaker@blackwell.com Web site: http://www.eblib.com/ http://www.blackwell.com/ http://www.ebooks.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment