Library users have a wide variety of needs, and librarians must be prepared to meet all of these. For library staff, this can be a challenge, but libraries that offer PressReader are able to provide patrons with access to more than 7,000 high-quality publications from around the world, all on one easy-to-use digital platform.
PressReader is more than just a way to give patrons access to third-party newspapers and magazines. With PressReader’s Self-Pub feature, libraries can also share their own content. Digitize and upload your own newsletters, announcements, and other publications to the front page of PressReader to further engage with library users.
How to use Self-Pub
Upload your content in just a few simple steps:
- Log into your PressReader for Business account
- Select the HotSpot where you would like to publish your content
- Click on Upload Custom Content
- Drag and drop your PDF file (up to 100MB) onto the screen and give your content a name
- Click to Upload and Publish (you can publish up to 3 files at the same time); your content will appear as one of your HotSpot’s featured publications
Read on below to find out how libraries in Germany, Italy and Portugal use Self-Pub to better connect with their patrons.
See also:
Verbund der Öffentlichen Bibliotheken Berlins (VÖBB)
Serving some 350,000 patrons, VÖBB is Berlin’s public library network. With both physical and digital catalogs, VÖBB engages with a diverse population.
VÖBB prints an annual report that details its accomplishments, highlights, and financials for the year. The library has been using PressReader for six years, and recently used Self-Pub to publish its annual report. This has enabled it to distribute the report to a much larger number of people — without incurring additional costs for printing and distribution.
“The print edition is mainly for the decision-makers,” says Moritz Mutter, the library system’s Head of Digital Services. “And then half a year later, normally there's a few hundred copies of these that are just still there —nobody took them, or they came back. And that's the point where we lay them out and library users can take them. I estimate that there's something like 10 or 20 times more people who read the reports online than read them in the print edition.”
United World College of the Adriatic
Located in Duino, Italy, United World College of the Adriatic (or UWC Adriatic) is part of a global network of 18 schools. UWC Adriatic brings together a diverse population of students from more than 80 countries for the final two years of their high-school education.
To meet the needs of such a diverse group of users, UWC Adriatic’s library offers PressReader, which features content from more than 120 countries in over 70 different languages so students from all over the world can stay connected to what’s happening locally and back home.
Some of UWC Adriatic’s students previously used Google Drive or email as a means to share their projects and school publications, but most students prefer to use their mobile phones as a way to access resources.
UWC librarian Giulia Postal has used Self-Pub to publish and share students’ school projects and their school’s newspaper, the Adriatic Times. In the long term, Postal says she would like to see the school establish a centralized repository of resources for student projects and publications that would be easy to browse and share.
Almada Public Library
The Almada Public Library in Almada, Portugal, serves a population of 24,000 library patrons, ranging from kids to seniors.
The library publishes a variety of publications related to its local municipality. Even though publications are still being printed on paper, it is now possible to save a lot of time and money in distributing them.
Almada Public Library uses Self-Pub to publish up to five publications at a time. “We can publish and make available municipal publications,” says librarian Armando Correia. “For instance, publications about the county's history or the municipalities’ cultural calendar — and, of course, the news of the municipalities.”
Using PressReader’s Self-Pub feature has not only enabled the library to save time and money, but it is now able to leverage technology to reach even more patrons.
PressReader does it all for you
When you use Self-Pub, your library patrons will be greeted by your latest content as soon as they open PressReader, ensuring they see important updates and news before they begin browsing the app’s catalog of publications. There’s no need to spend resources digitizing your collateral. PressReader does it for you, all on one familiar platform.
The simple drag-and-drop tool is easy for library staff, gentle on your budget and effective in providing one more way to connect with library users.
Learn more about PressReader and the value that Self-Pub can bring to your library or institution.
