Kobo eReaders now make borrowing eBooks EASY

Toronto, ON – August 21st, 2018 - Booklovers who borrow digital books from the library desire an easy way to acquire and access their favorite read. That desire has now become a reality for current Kobo eReader users. Today, Rakuten Kobo celebrates reading by adding one-touch public library lending to all of its current eReaders (Kobo Aura ONE, Kobo Aura H2O Ed.2, Kobo Aura Ed.2 and Kobo Clara HD).

Borrowing eBooks has never been easier: Readers can connect to their local public libraries right from their device with built-in, one-touch lending access. Set-up is free and easy, all that’s needed is a library card from any OverDrive-powered library, and through an integrated catalogue, booklovers can search for the title they want, and depending on the title, choose either to borrow or buy with just one click.

Kobo launched its premium Aura ONE device with one-touch library eBook access, and saw a significant increase in reading time among those customers who also read library books, and that’s what it’s all about.

“As we grow as a company, we are always trying to keep the reader’s entire reading life in mind – where and when do they read, how can we make accessing eBooks easier, how can we combine beautiful design while pushing the envelope of what technology can do. Everything we do is for the reader,” said Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo. “The insights and feedback gleaned from readers on our most premium device showed that those who borrowed eBooks directly from their public library on average read 30% more than those who did not use the library feature. Avid readers clearly appreciate the easy access to more books. As a result, we have rolled out the feature to our entire current eReader lineup. We want everyone to be able to access the stories they love, however they want to read them.”

See how to get started with Kobo and OverDrive here.

*Kobo Aura H2O Ed.2, Kobo Aura Ed.2 and Kobo Clara HDs will all have public library eBook access through OverDrive as of August 24^th at 11:59pm.

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.

Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s most innovative eReading services offering more than 6 million eBooks and audiobooks to millions of customers in 190 countries. Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo provides people with a choice when reading. Kobo offers an eReader for everyone with a wide variety of E Ink eReaders to suit any Reader’s style including the Kobo Clara HD, Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura H2O, and Kobo Aura ONE; along with the company’s free top-ranking eReading and audiobook listening app for Apple® and Android®. Kobo’s award-winning eReaders can be found in major retail chains around the world. For more information, visit www.kobo.com.

Media Contact
Sinead McElhinney
Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Manager, Public Relations
416 977 8737 ext. 3382
[email protected]