XanEdu and SharedBook to Merge
Two companies specializing in custom course materials — XanEdu and SharedBook — have agreed to merge. The combined offerings will comprise a range of full-service and do-it-yourself options for custom textbook creation.
XanEdu helps professors and college bookstores find and clear copyright permissions for custom content outside of traditional textbooks, including course packs, custom books and lab manuals. Course materials are made available to students in print and in digital format via the myXanEdu content delivery platform, viewable online and on tablets.
SharedBook's AcademicPub self-service technology allows faculty to source, aggregate and order custom course materials online. The company boasts a library of more than 12 million copyright-cleared content items from 265 academic publishers of books and journals. Professors can also upload their own materials or search the web to include additional items. The custom course packs are available for purchase by students in either print or digital format.
The merger includes AcademicPub as well as the non-educational operations of SharedBook, such asBlog2Print, a service that prints bound books from blog content. The combined entity is planning to operate under the XanEdu brand with John DeBoer remaining CEO and the employees of both companies reporting to DeBoer. SharedBook and AcademicPub CEO Caroline Vanderlip will become a member of the XanEdu board of directors.
About the Author
Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].