Yesterday morning, the first Espresso Book Machine was installed and demonstrated at the New York Public Library‘s Science, Industry, and Business Library (SIBL), located on 188 Madison Avenue. The EBM will be available to the public at SIBL through August, and will operate Monday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m through Friday, September 7. This fall, the New Orleans Public Library, the University of Alberta, the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont, and the Open Content Alliance in San Francisco will all get their own EBMs, reports EndGadget.
One who is especially pleased to be involved is Jason Epstein, co-founder of On Demand Books and a former publishing bigwig at Random House. “Printed books are one of history’s greatest and most enduring inventions, and after centuries, their form needs no improvement,” said Epstein in a statement about EBM’s launch. “What does need to change is the outdated way that books reach readers.” Kristin McDonough, Robert and Joyce Menschel Director of SIBL added: “The Science, Industry and Business Library is delighted to showcase the Espresso Book Machine. The Espresso provides a convenient new approach to book publishing and information dissemination and we are pleased to provide our users with the first opportunity to see this new technology demonstrated at a library whose mission is to support innovation and new business ventures.”