By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
‘In This Difficult Stage of Rebuilding’
Two Italian universities affected by earthquakes in August and October are being given special access to expanded digital resources by Springer Nature.
“In addition to the journal titles to which they already subscribe,” reads a prepared statement, “Università degli Studi di Camerino and Università degli Studi di Macerata will gain access to all Springer and Nature journals until the end of June 2017.
“All researchers, teaching staff, and students at the two universities will benefit from the offer.”
Quoted in the statement, Dagmar Laging, vice-president of institutional sales for Europe at Springer Nature, says, “The Italian team at Springer Nature has provided insight into the specific situation at the Universities of Camerino and Macerata.
“Springer Nature would like to support these universities in this difficult phase of rebuilding and offer help which may relieve some of the burden in these dramatic circumstances. In this way, we hope that those at the universities will be able to continue and complete, via remote online access, their studies and research.”
The company’s press materials say that it’s considering adding other institutions engaged with university staffs in Camerino and Macerata on issues around rebuilding after the quakes.
Springer Nature, which characterizes itself as “a leading global research, educational, and professional publisher,” is the world’s largest academic book publisher and has some 13,000 staffers worldwide in more than 50 countries.
‘Welcoming Fnac Spain to the Partnership’
Canada’s Rakuten Kobo has announced a partnership with France’s Fnac retail operation in Spain. The arrangement features both ebooks in Spanish, Catalan, Basque, and Galician, and Kobo’s line of e-readers.
According to the news release from Kobo, Fnac customers receive “tailored recommendations based on their reading preferences.”
Speaking for Kobo, Jean-Marc Dupuis, the company’s managing director for Europe, is quoted in the statement, saying, “We have enjoyed great success with Fnac in France and Portugal over the past few years, and are pleased to be expanding and welcoming Fnac Spain to the partnership.
“Spain is an important market for us, and together with Fnac, we will continue to spread the love of reading to book lovers across the country.”
Quoted for Fnac Spain, the retailer’s general director, Marcos Ruão, says, “We look forward to working closely with Kobo to further grow the ebook industry in Spain.
“Through our combined experience, we will expand on the book offering for Spanish readers, and with this, take a big step forward in our commitment to celebrating our country’s arts and literary culture.”
Kobo’s current corporate materials say that the company’s services (ebooks and magazines) are offered “to millions of customers in more than 190 countries.”
Fnac’s copy says the company has 199 stores, in total, in nine countries, and employs 14,100 people. It reports a total 30 stores in Spain, in addition to its online presence.