“Home Grown” eBook Pilot Project Brings 1,200 New eBooks to VGCC Library Patrons
The Vance-Granville Community College Library and NC LIVE, North Carolina’s statewide public and academic library consortium, are experimenting with a new eBook project that gives North Carolina library patrons unlimited access to more than 1,200 eBook titles from North Carolina-based publishers. This collection offers a wide range of content, including novels by popular North Carolina authors, poetry, short stories, and non-fiction.
The eBooks are available for public use on the BiblioBoard platform by visiting or by visiting lrc.vgcc.edu and clicking on “ eBooks ” or “ Databases/eResources .” Among the featured titles are Guests on Earth by Lee Smith and North Carolina and Old Salem Cookery by Beth Tartan, among many others. VGCC library patrons attempting to access the eBooks from off-campus may be asked to log in with their WebAdvisor user name and password.
The library consortium partnered with eight local publishing houses to purchase the eBooks, including Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill (an imprint of Workman Books), Crossroad Press, Gryphon House, Ingalls Publishing Group, John F. Blair Publishing, McFarland, Press 53, and UNC Press. Unlike traditional library eBooks, this collection features always-available, unlimited simultaneous user access during the life of the pilot, meaning patrons will not have to place a hold or wait for an eBook to become available. Additionally, the BiblioBoard platform allows users to view the eBooks in a web browser or download them to their tablet devices via the BiblioBoard Library app.
With this project, the VGCC Library was able to acquire eBook titles not previously available to libraries at lower prices than would be possible if libraries had purchased them independently. NC LIVE Executive Director Tim Rogers noted, “For the cost of about five to ten eBooks per library, the Home Grown collection gives every North Carolinian access to more than 1,200 eBooks. It is something we can all feel good about,” he said.
State Librarian Cal Shepard echoed Rogers’ sentiments. “I believe this project showcases one of the many ways the state’s libraries are harnessing technology and working together to efficiently offer services that people want and need. When we pool our resources in this way, we’re able to achieve a lot more than we could individually.”
The pilot program will run through December 2014, during which time NC LIVE will work with publishers, libraries, and BiblioLabs, the provider of the BiblioBoard platform, to assess the long-term sustainability and success of these models.
VGCC Library Services offers a wide range of electronic educational resources, such as eBooks, electronic databases and DVDs, in addition to the more traditional books, magazines, academic journals and newspapers. All of VGCC’s electronic resources, including NC LIVE, are now fully accessible to all students, faculty and staff even when they are not on campus. VGCC library patrons can access these materials on any computer by using the same user ID and password that they use for the college’s WebAdvisor system and for their online classes. The main library is located in Building 2 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County, but library services are also available at the satellite campuses and online. Libraries are open to the public, supporting life-long learning and intellectual enrichment for the community. For more information, visit lrc.vgcc.edu or call (252) 738-3279 .
About NC LIVE
NC LIVE is a statewide library consortium that provides shared digital content and services to North Carolina’s community colleges, public libraries, the UNC System, and NC Independent Colleges and Universities. Patrons of NC LIVE’s 200 member libraries may access eBooks, magazines, newspapers, journals, streaming videos, and more online via library websites, and through .
About BiblioBoard
BiblioBoard is the PatronsFirst mobile library. The folks behind BiblioBoard are a powerful team based in Charleston, SC. They aim to transform access to information by providing a world-class user experience that thrills library patrons and is profitable for publishers. BiblioBoard is moving library content delivery into the future in a sustainable way. BiblioLabs is also a proud member of the Charleston Digital Corridor. To learn more, visit .
