The world’s first “Digital Bookmobile” was launched by Overdrive at this year’s National Book Festival. This isn’t your usual bookmobile. this one is a huge semi-truck, with every digital resource a library patron or electronic geek could hope for. Here are the details from Overdrive’s press release:
At the 2013 National Book Festival (Sept. 21 and 22), eBooks were a featured part of the celebration. Millions of students and library patrons around the country are borrowing eBooks and audiobooks from libraries and schools, and at the National Book Festival visitors will discover how to take advantage of this powerful, free resource aboard the Digital Bookmobile. The unique 18-wheel, 74-foot traveling exhibit provides interactive videos and hands on devices with details on how to borrow eBooks and more on smartphones, tablets, eReaders and other devices.
Founded in 2000 by First Lady Laura Bush and hosted by the Library of Congress, the National Book Festival is an annual celebration of books and reading. The festival’s 2013 lineup includes bestselling authors Khaled Hosseini, Margaret Atwood, Katherine Applegate, Rick Atkinson, Veronica Roth, Holly Black, Jamaica Kincaid, Joyce Carol Oates and many more. Readers can find eBooks and audiobooks by these authors—as well as many of the Library of Congress’ “Books That Shaped America”—on the Digital Bookmobile and at their participating public library’s or school’s website or search.overdrive.com.
The Digital Bookmobile is powered by OverDrive, which provides eBook-lending platforms to more than 22,000 public and school 
libraries worldwide. Libraries and schools in the OverDrive network throughout the United States and around the world offer vast collections of popular eBooks and audiobooks compatible with all major eReading devices, including iPad®, Nook® and Kindle® (U.S. only). OverDrive serves more than 250 public libraries in the Washington, D.C. area alone. Worldwide, readers checked out more than 100 million eBooks and audiobooks through libraries and schools in the past fourteen months (since June 2012)—far surpassing the 10 years it took to check out the first 100 million titles.
The Digital Bookmobile launched in August 2008 and since then has traveled 110,000 miles across North America, hosting 655 events at libraries and schools and welcoming 135,000 visitors. It will be open to the public throughout the National Book Festival, rain or shine, from 10 am to 5:30 pm on Saturday, September 21, and 12 noon to 5:30 pm on Sunday, September 22. To find a library near you, visit search.overdrive.com.
About the Digital Bookmobile
The Digital Bookmobile is a high-tech update of the traditional bookmobile that has served communities for decades. The 74-foot-long, 18-wheel tractor-trailer creates an engaging experience for readers and raises awareness for eBook-lending programs at libraries and schools throughout North America. The vehicle is equipped with broadband Internet-connected PCs, high-definition monitors, premium sound systems and a variety of eReading devices.
About OverDrive
OverDrive is a leading multichannel digital distributor of eBooks, digital audiobooks, music and video. We supply a secure lending platform for 22,000 libraries, schools and retailers worldwide with support for all major computers and devices, including iPhone®, iPad®, Nook®, Android™ phones and tablets, and Kindle® (U.S. only). Recent enhancements to OverDrive’s platform include multilingual user interface support, in-library touchscreen services for browsing and instant sampling of eBooks or audiobooks, and OverDrive Read, the company’s EPUB and HTML5 browser-based reading experience.
OverDrive has been named to the EContent 100 as a company that matters most in the digital content industry and is a member of the 2012 Technology Fast 500. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland. www.overdrive.com.
