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Toronto Public Library Adds Kobo as an Affiliate Partner

TPL koboThe Toronto Public Library has just announced a new addition to their retailer partner network.

This pubic library system, which serves 2.8 million Canadians at 98 branches, has been partnered with Indigo Books and Music since March 2012 and has been earning a commission on books purchased by library patrons. Starting today the TPL will also be directing library patrons to Kobo and earning a commission on the ebooks and ereaders purchased.

The TPL is reportedly the only library in Canada that has an affiliate deal with booksellers (I’m not so sure that is true), and in the past 5 months they have sold 509 books. But the idea isn’t all that new.

Both OverDrive and Bilbary offer similar programs. Bilbary’s partners include Califa, the Kansas State Library, Douglas County Libraries (CO), and other library systems, while OverDrive enables any of their library partners to also direct patrons to any of several hundred ebookstores. When I last checked (around this time last year) OverDrive’s program was available around the world, not just in the US. I was told that OverDrive had 300+ retail partners, including the major US ebookstores as well as a group so diverse that it even include Nokia.

Curiously enough, the TPL does offer ebooks via OverDrive. I wonder why they didn’t use OverDrive’s service instead of signing a deal with Kobo?

Quill and Quire

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Comments


Alexander Inglis July 9, 2013 um 10:14 pm

Toronto Public Libraries also joined the Zinio magazine program in the last few days.


Amazon, Showrooming, and Discoverability | Geeked Librarian December 30, 2014 um 9:57 am

[…] Toronto Public Library Adds Kobo as an Affiliate Partner […]


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