OverDrive and III announce plans for deep API integration

This week, OverDrive and Innovative Interfaces, Inc. ("III") agreed on plans for deep API integration of OverDrive services into III products, including Sierra and Encore Discovery Services Platform.  Building on the success of the first round of OverDrive APIs, the coming API updates will include the ability to check out and place a hold on eBooks from a library's online catalog.   The plans with III also include an option to take the integration beyond digital and into the physical collection.  In addition to providing an enhanced user experience through a library's online catalog, OverDrive and III will enable a seamless experience for OverDrive library partners in our collection portal, Content Reserve.  Libraries will be able to see their physical and digital holdings side-by-side within Content Reserve so that collection development decisions can be based on physical holdings, circulation, and other criteria.   At the 2013 ALA Conference this summer, OverDrive and III plan to demonstrate III's integration of OverDrive's much anticipated 'Content API' which supports placing holds and checkouts on titles from a library's digital catalog.  To support this, our companies will also collaborate on a 'Patron Authentication API' to ensure secure access to user accounts.  The Content API release will follow soon after with a pilot available for partner libraries and approved vendors.   Included in the Content API will be direct access to both downloadable and browser-based (OverDrive Read) eBooks, as well as eBook samples in the OverDrive Read format.  These will work the same way as the current Read and Download buttons do on OverDrive-powered Next Generation digital library collection websites, allowing users to directly read or download titles with integrated API calls.   OverDrive's partnership with III is an exciting one, and it builds on the success we're already seeing with our existing API partners, currently serving hundreds of libraries.   We also have a booth (#18) set up at IUG 2013, meeting with III's many customers and users in San Francisco this week.   As we make progress on the new APIs, we'll be sure to keep you in the loop right here on the blog.  In the meantime, you can read more about our APIs on our developer portal.

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