Information Today
Volume 19, Issue 8 — September 2002
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Adobe Systems Introduces Adobe Content Server 3.0 

Adobe Systems, Inc. has announced the release of Adobe Content Server 3.0, an end-to-end software solution that enables the secure distribution of Adobe PDF e-books. New Content Server 3.0 functionality makes it possible for libraries to loan and distribute PDF-based e-books to patrons. Content providers and businesses may also use Content Server 3.0 to offer digital subscriptions of PDF content to consumers or employees. The new lending features give distributors control over the number of people who access content.

Thousands of PDF e-books from publishers such as HarperCollins, McGraw-Hill, Rough Guides, Holtzbrinck Publishers, St. Martin's Press, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux are already available. Libraries will be able to instantly deliver these existing PDF e-books and other digital materials to patrons. According to the announcement, the e-books are automatically checked in and out and may be integrated with a library's existing catalog system, thus simplifying management and eliminating extra work.

Through the library's Web interface, patrons use a simple process to check out and receive e-books, but do not need to be connected to the Internet to read them. Libraries can also set usage rules so e-books expire after a certain amount of time or on a specified date. When the lending license expires, the e-book is automatically disabled on the patron's computer and is returned to the library catalog.

Through a browser-based interface, Adobe Content Server 3.0 links key functions of the e-book supply chain for easy packaging, encryption, and distribution of e-books over the Internet. The software works with existing IT environments, enabling content owners and distributors to secure intellectual property and tightly control digital rights and distribution. It also provides protection for copyright holders by allowing them to set rights and permissions, including whether content can be copied, printed, or lent to other readers.

To make it easy for libraries to add these new capabilities, Adobe has teamed with library solutions providers ebrary, Baker & Taylor, Follett, and netLibrary. These companies offer a turnkey solution that includes technology, high-quality content, and complete integration services. Through these providers, Content Server 3.0 can be easily integrated with a library's existing IT infrastructure.

The Adobe Content Server is available through Adobe distributors such as OverDrive and can also be licensed directly from http://ebooks.adobe.com. Content-based pricing is a one-time fee of $5,000 for one Content Server destination site that's capable of hosting 250 titles. Expansion packages are $1,000 per additional 500 titles. ASP-based pricing is $10,000 for the Content Server linked to one destination site that hosts an unlimited number of titles. Additional destination sites for Content Server are $1,500 each. Upgrades to Content Server 3.0 from previous versions are also available.

Source: Adobe Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA, 800/833-6687; http://www.adobe.com.

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