Norwalk, CT • July 26, 2011 — Akademos, Inc., a leading provider of online bookstores and marketplaces to educational institutions, announced today that it has launched a digital reader that will allow its member institutions to access electronic content from traditional publishers and from open resources, such as the Connexions Consortium, World Public Library, the Guttenberg Project, and many others.
The company also announced its first major Open Educational Resources (OER) partnership with publisher Flat World Knowledge, which is providing the company with its full catalog of over 40 high-quality textbooks covering major subject areas for introductory general education colleges courses.
“OER will play an increasingly large role in how faculty access and use educational materials for classroom learning,” said Brian Jacobs, Ph.D., Founder and President of Akademos, “and we are excited to announce a new digital platform that allows our schools to adopt and customize these materials easily.”
The Akademos eReader, which is compatible with the emerging standard ePub format, allows students to create notes, highlight, annotate, and collaborate with fellow students. And those students who would also like a print copy of the text can easily order one directly through the eReader itself.
“Flat World Knowledge is a pioneer in OER and we are pleased to make their high-quality content available to our partner institutions through our new eReader,” notes Akademos CEO, John Squires, “The Akademos eReader takes its place alongside a suite of options for faculty and students—new, used, marketplace, rental, eTextbooks, and custom course materials—designed to lower costs while giving faculty greater control and flexibility. Akademos is redefining what it means to be a full service provider of course materials to educational institutions.”
Flat World Knowledge’s textbooks have received high praise from faculty and students and are in use at more than 1,200 institutions in the U.S. and in 44 countries. “Akademos offers an exciting new model for educational institutions grappling with the rapid changes in the textbook marketplace,” said Jeff Shelstad, CEO and Co-Founder of Flat World Knowledge. “Through this innovative distribution partnership and strong on-campus presence, we can offer our textbooks and institutional licensing solution to a wider range of faculty and students and help make higher education more affordable and accessible.”
About Flat World Knowledge, Inc.
Flat World Knowledge is the largest publisher of free and open college textbooks for students worldwide. Committed to making higher education more affordable and accessible, the company provides students with free online access to complete, peer-reviewed textbooks, with options to purchase affordable print and digital formats, including e-books, audio books, PDF downloads and interactive study aids. With Flat World’s open license and online editing platform professors can modify the content to create the “perfect book” for their course. To date, more than 1,600 professors at over 1,200 colleges in 44 countries have used Flat World open textbooks. Backed by top venture capital firms, Flat World Knowledge was named, along with Apple, Facebook and Google, as one of the information industry’s “30 to Watch” in 2011 by Outsell, Inc.
To learn more, visit http://www.flatworldknowledge.com; follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/flatworldknowledge; and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/flat_world.
About Akademos
Akademos offers a turnkey virtual bookstore and marketplace for small and midsized schools. Its advanced technology, comprehensive supply-chain solution, and commitment to responsive personal service make it a leader in providing affordable course materials and digital learning tools for schools. Students can choose new, used, marketplace, rental, and eBooks while schools can reduce costs and enjoy greater operating efficiency. Akademos delivers the right course materials, at an affordable price, on time.
Learn more at http://www.akademos.com
