Axis360 (BLIO)
Baker and Taylor is an established distributor of print books to public libraries in the US and Australia via their subsidiary company James Bennett. The company has recently entered the eBook market with their own digital media platform Axis 360. Baker and Taylor library clients can purchase print and eBooks on a title by title basis via the Axis 360 platform (cloud based Service). The content is provided under a leasing arrangement. eBook titles are offered in the proprietary BLIO format and ePub. The BLIO format is particularly suited to image rich titles such as cookbooks and children books and interactive (multimedia) textbooks. BLIO was developed by inventor Ray Kurzweil and the US National Federation for the blind.
In January 2014 ReadersFirst published, A Guide to Library E-Book Vendors which is available for free. The guide will be particularly useful to those libraries that do not as yet offer eBooks to their communities and libraries contemplating expanding their existing offerings. eBook vendors are objectively rated in accordance to the key principals advocated by the ReadersFirst coalition.
| Pay Model | Subscription Model (content only accessible, if library is within contract) |
| Ownership Model | The distributor has indicated that they will allow content to be migrated onto the BLIO AXIS 360 Platform from an alternative platform where the content license permits/publisher such a transfer. They will also allow libraries to move content from BLIO AXIS 360 to an alternative platform conditional to content licence agreements. |
| Administration Fee |
Pricing model based on annual circulation. This determines the annual access and service fee over the period of a three year contract. The fees are comparatively modest. |
| Publisher Content | Major publishers include: Hachette, Macmillan (11,000 back list titles), Penguin Random House and HarperCollins. Simon and Schuster is undertaking a pilot with New York Library and BLIO. In the US over 500,000 eBook titles are offered and 25,000 audio books from 297 publishers. In Australia 320,000 titles are available. NSW.net is awaiting data for available Australian content. |
| Compatible with eReaders | Devices with an Operating System capable of downloading the BLIO App. Blue Fire used for ePub titles |
| Compatible with Kindle | no |
| File Formats | ePub and Blio The vendor has indicated that Blio will be phased out as ePub3 titles become more prevalent |
| Simultaneous/unlimited checkout | no (single concurrent usage license) |
| Audio Books | no although BLIO titles are text to audio enabled |
| Download Method |
straightforward for ePub titles, Adobe Digital Editions download required on patrons computer or Blue Fire on mobile devices. For Blio titles app download required.
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| Deep catalogue Integration | API's have been released to ILMS vendors. The API's provide real time inventory, checkouts and holds. API available for SirsiDynix and Spydus9 |
| App for Android | yes |
| App for iPhone | yes |
| Software Ease of Setup | Combination of two formats reported to be confusing for some staff and patrons. This will be eradicated with move to ePub3 |
| Platform Authentication | CPID: Library Barcode |
| Software ease of use for library patron |
The Axis 360 platform uses Adobe Content Server for DRM. This requires that the end user download the client software Adobe Digital Editions. The vendor indicated in November 2013 that library patrons will no longer be required to create their own ADE user account as the download workflow will utilise an automated profile created by the platform. |
| NSW.net Consortia Opt-in Offer | Yes please refer to BLIO AXIS 360 Consortia Opt-in Offer: |
| Subscribing NSW Public Libraries |
Blue Mountains Library Ku-Ring-Gai Lake Macquarie Library Liverpool City Newcastle Library Macquarie Regional Library Rockdale Library If your Library Service offers this service and is not listed please contact Ross Balharrie ross.balharrie@sl.nsw.gov.au . If you library no longer offers this platform please notify Ross Balharrie ross.balharrie@sl.nsw.gov.au |
Last updated 2/4/2014