E-book and audiobook distributor OverDrive has formed "a strategic alliance" with Japanese publisher aggregator MediaDo. Called OverDrive Japan, the new initiative will enable distribution of popular and bestselling Japanese content, including manga and adult fiction, through the OverDrive network of libraries and schools worldwide. In addition, the venture extends the OverDrive platform and catalogue of more than one million e-book and audiobook titles to Japanese libraries and schools.
Good E-Reader called the partnership "exciting news not only for patrons who may wish to enjoy Japanese-language titles, but also for OverDrive's academic and K12 library partners. With an increased focus on foreign language instruction in grades as young as elementary school, many institutions currently offer Japanese as a foreign language course. This partnership will make native language titles accessible to teachers and students for a more immersive learning experience. The manga titles can offer students not only the entertainment factor that the genre commands, but also a visual to accompany the Japanese text in order to make it more understandable."
