According to a recent Pew Research study as of January 2014, 76% of American adults said that they read at least one book in the past year. Almost seven in ten adults (69%) read a book in print in the past 12 months, while more than a quarter (28%) read an e-Book. In response to this trend of seemingly ever-increasing use of eBooks, along with repeated requests from our customers and in support of our strategic emphasis on “incorporating digital content into all Library initiatives,” we have added two new formats to our Hot Authors service: eBooks and eAudiobooks. These formats are available for over 50 selected Hot Authors.

Customers who sign up for eBooks or eAudiobooks receive an email notifying them when a new digital title from their Hot Author can be placed on hold. The email contains a link to a form that asks for the customer’s card number and PIN. Once the customer enters their information, the hold is placed in OverDrive for them. Administration of the service is handled through a web "tool" developed by our Library staff. Two months after the new E-Hot Authors service was launched, 275 library customers are participating, having at least one eBook or eAudiobook selected in the new service.

In the new e-format world, it is essential to consider how existing barriers to service can be reduced and eliminated. The Hot Author service offers customers a seamless avenue for ensuring they will receive the newest titles from their favorite writers. However, development of this service was not possible solely with library resources. A critical aspect of this innovation is that our staff remains vigilant in examining resources provided by our vendor partners. Overdrive’s development of an API allowed our staff to build out the structures and tools necessary to leverage third party resources into an innovative service that provides tangible benefits to our customers and lays the groundwork for future initiatives. Overdrive has requested that we present this new service at their upcoming Digipalooza 2015.