OCLC and NetLibrary update Content Storage Agreement

BOULDER, CO – June 16, 2001– NetLibrary™, the leading provider of eBooks and Internet-based content/collection management services, today announced an updated agreement under which OCLC will maintain a repository of eBooks sold by NetLibrary to participating academic, public, corporate, government and K-12 library customers. NetLibrary will provide OCLC with quarterly customer file updates reflecting each library’s additions and deletions to their digital library. Copies of the eBooks will be stored on CD-Rom in Preservation Resources climate controlled vault.

“In the past year, we have seen a significant increase in the acceptance of eBooks across all types of libraries”, said Rob Kaufman, President and Chief Executive Officer of of NetLibrary. “This agreement is an important ‘next step’ and reflects the strong commitment of OCLC and NetLibrary to support the library community. We are very pleased to have the commitment and partnership of industry leader, OCLC, in achieving this important content storage milestone.”

This agreement between the world’s largest library consortium and the leading eBook provider ensures NetLibrary customers of backup storage for their eBook content investment. Both organizations have as their mission the development of products and services to support the missions and methods of libraries, with eBooks now being among the newest and fastest growing resources supporting the changing role of libraries in a digital age.

“eBooks and other digital materials are becoming an increasing part of library collections,” said Jay Jordan, OCLC President and Chief Executive Officer. “Providing backup storage for eBooks aligns closely with our new digital collection management services.”

eBooks are full-text electronic versions of published books that library patrons can search, borrow, read, and return via the Internet. With NetLibrary eBooks, users can access library resources anywhere, anytime, and perform full-text searches across hundreds of books or within a specific book to speed research and reference projects. These books can be viewed online from a library, office, home, or remote location using an Internet browser, or can be downloaded to a laptop. Added benefits include an embedded dictionary in each book with accompanying visuals and verbal pronunciation, as well as hyperlinks from both the table of contents and index. eBooks are available for varying checkout periods and are automatically checked back into the library collection when the checkout period expires.

About OCLC
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit organization that provides computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing and preservation services to 39,000 libraries in 76 countries and territories. OCLC was founded in 1967 to improve access to the world’s information and reduce information costs, and conducts ongoing research to develop technologies to support that mission. More information about OCLC is at www.oclc.org. The Preservation Resources Division helps libraries not only preserve their collections, but to provide access to them for current and future users.

About NetLibrary
NetLibrary (www.NetLibrary.com) is the leading provider of eBooks and Internet-based content management services. Hundreds of publishers of academic, professional, reference, and scholarly books have adopted NetLibrary's digital rights management infrastructure. NetLibrary develops, archives, hosts, and securely distributes eBooks and print-ready files through a variety of channels, including academic, corporate, public, and school libraries. NetLibrary eBooks are full-text searchable and available for use on personal computers in online and offline formats.

Contact:
Marge Gammon
NetLibrary
(303) 381-8799
mgammon@netlibrary.com

Jim McDougald
GCI Group
(303) 381-2585
jmcdougald@gcigroup.com