NewspaperDirect Adds Free Mobile Service
Libraries that utilize the Library PressDisplay (LPD) newspaper and magazine Web portal and its companion PressReader application will now be able to offer the mobile service free of charge to their patrons.
Newspaper and magazine content distributor NewspaperDirect, purveyor of LPD and PressReader, has made the download of PressReader free for participating library patrons on their iOS, Android, Windows 8, BlackBerry Playbook, and BlackBerry 10 devices anywhere they have an Internet connection. Each time they enter their library thereafter, they can immediately download the publications they want to read just as they were written in print.
The enhanced availability of the app is intended to add value to a library subscription to the magazine and newspaper kiosk service, as PressReader's IP authentication method turns the entire library into a sponsored PressReader "hot zone," according to a release, enabling patrons to enjoy a complementary service that would normally cost an individual $29.95 per month.
Ease of use for patrons is another feature of the enhanced availability, according to a company release, as there is no need for patrons to set up an account, username or password, or even login.
NewsPaper direct services are in use at Calvin College, the University of Michigan, and Kalamazoo College, among others.
Libraries interested in requesting a free trial of PressReader for Libraries and LPD can contact [email protected].
About the Author
Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].