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Sony didn’t get Oprah to promote its eBook Reader, but they got the support of some organization where the electronic Reader will surely thrive - the libraries and their librarians.  Sony struck a deal with OCLC, the library world’s largest consortium of libraries in the U.S. 

Through the deal, OCLC’s Netlibrary will be making available a collection of new ebook titles which library patrons can borrow together with the Sony eBook reader.  Librarians of the of participating libraries can download eBooks from the Sony Reader Mobile Collections to their PCs and to the Sony Reader, complete with all the licenses required for the eBook titles.

And mind you, those eBook titles are not just your run-of-the-mill titles since most of these books are certainly useful and are worthwhile readings.  Library users can borrow titles from the collection’s 30 titles of business self help eBooks, 29 popular fiction, 24 young adult fiction, 22 titles on management and leadership, and 19 titles of romance eBooks.

Sony will not get any purchases directly from this program.  They are looking for a long term benefit when users get accustomed to reading eBooks and borrowing these eBooks from libraries instead of illegally obtaining them from unauthorized Internet sites.

The program is definitely a good way of advertising and marketing the Sony Reader.  Perhaps even better than Oprah promoting it on her TV show.

Product [Sony] Read [PR Newswire]