Espresso Book Machine Comes To Brooklyn Public Library

March 12, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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BROOKLYN — Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) last week unveiled its newly installed Espresso Book Machine (EBM), a cutting-edge technology from On Demand Books, which will offer patrons instant access to more than 8 million titles printed in any language and will allow Brooklyn authors to self-publish their work on-site.

The machine is up and running in the library’s main branch at Grand Army Plaza, making BPL one of the first public libraries of its size to install the machine permanently.

“There are over 130 languages spoken in Brooklyn, and nearly 50 percent of Brooklyn residents speak a language other than English at home,” said Linda E. Johnson, president and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library. “The Espresso Book Machine will allow library-goers to print and enjoy books in any language, and allow Brooklyn’s legions of authors to self-publish and see their finished work produced, hot off the press.”

Brooklyn’s diverse population will now have access to millions of titles in any language with the Espresso Book Machine, the only digital-to-print at retail solution on the market.

With the push of a button any book from EspressNet, On Demand Books’ digital catalog of content, can be printed, bound and trimmed, creating a paperback book that is virtually indistinguishable from the publisher’s version.
The Espresso Book Machine allows Brooklyn writers to self-publish their work, with the added benefit of offering their books for sale on the EBM’s catalog, making them available at EBM locations around the world.

Using the EBM’s SelfEspress software, writers can format, design and upload their book for printing into a physical book and will soon be able to convert the print file to an e-reader format. This feature is of particular significance to Brooklyn, which is home to a large creative community that includes many up-and-coming writers and authors.

“Brooklyn has one of the premier library systems in the United States, serving a culturally rich and diverse community of readers and writers,” said Dane Neller, CEO of On Demand Books. “We’re delighted that Brooklyn Public Library has chosen to partner with On Demand Books to enhance the library’s already rich collection of books and create a community self-publishing center.”

The Espresso Book Machine brings convenient, cost-effective and sustainable technology to Brooklyn readers and authors. EBM’s technology draws books from two sources — in-copyright titles made available by major publishers including HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, McGraw-Hill, Hachette, Macmillan, and O’Reilly; and titles that have fallen into the public domain and are made available as scans through the Google Books program.

Espresso Book Machines have been installed in roughly 80 locations worldwide, including bookstores, libraries and universities, and content is expected to continue to increase as EBMs are adopted by more venues around the globe.