New Partnership between Follett and Inkling Gives Students More Access to Interactive Digital Textbooks

OAK BROOK, Ill., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall, students at colleges and universities with bookstores managed by Follett Higher Education Group will have another digital textbook option. Follett and Inkling Systems, Inc. today announced a partnership to offer Inkling's enhanced, interactive digital textbooks through the more than 900 college stores operated by Follett as well as online via efollett.com®. Inkling's interactive textbooks will be available to Follett students through any Web browser and also on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.  Inkling titles include numerous features such as video, interactive assessments, animation, music, slideshows and 3D models.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101119/CG05255LOGO-a)

Follett's partnership will also give students the option of purchasing the entire Inkling textbook or the ability to "Pick 3": a cost-saving alternative that allows students to buy just three chapters for a fraction of the price of a full textbook.

Through the agreement, Follett continues to expand its strong assortment of digital textbook offerings, which includes more than 35,000 titles on its popular CafeScribe® platform.  Follett also becomes the largest distributor of Inkling products. 

"Through our partnership with Inkling, we continue to deliver on our mission to provide students with the widest selection of affordable course material options," said Thomas A. Christopher, President of Follett Higher Education Group. "Inkling's new browser-based platform also allows us to continue our focus on providing students digital content on a variety of devices to give students better access to the materials they need to succeed." 

Follett will offer Inkling's growing assortment of titles, including some of the most popular titles, plus specialized titles in the medical, MBA and scientific fields.  Follett students, for the first time will have the flexibility to purchase Inkling titles using multiple forms of payment, including financial aid or campus cards.  Students will also have the convenience of purchasing Inkling titles in Follett's more than 900 stores or online through efollett.com. 

"Inkling has built an engaging, interactive experience that helps students succeed," said Matt MacInnis, CEO of Inkling. "Our partnership with Follett means millions of students will gain access to a unique, next-generation learning tool. This is a major step forward." 

As a trusted advisor to its campus partners, Follett helps faculty and administrators decide which course materials are the best fit for their students.  The partnership with Inkling further strengthens Follett's product portfolio and provides its customers with even more options to help students succeed in the classroom.

Inkling products have gained wide recognition in the technology industry, and recently received an Eddy award for top software product in the 2011 Macworld™ Editors' Choice Awards. Sold by the chapter or as whole books, Inkling titles go beyond simply copying textbooks onto computer screens. Inkling titles are built from the ground up for today's digital learners.

About Inkling™ Systems, Inc.
Inkling is reinventing publishing in the era of iPad, and we've started by redefining the textbook. Starting with the world's best titles from leading publishers, Inkling rebuilds each from the ground up into enhanced, engaging and interactive experiences. But it's about more than just books. Look between the lines, and you'll see a revolution in publishing: a new platform for creating, distributing and consuming media-rich, interactive content. Based in San Francisco, Inkling is backed by Sequoia Capital, and partners with the world's leading educational publishers. For more information, visit www.inkling.com.

About Follett Higher Education Group
Follett Higher Education Group of Oak Brook, Illinois, is the leading provider of bookstore services and the foremost supplier of used books in North America. Follett services five million students and over 400,000 faculty members through more than 900 stores. Follett also services more than 1,600 independent campus stores with its wholesale services, and has the most visited ecommerce collegiate website, efollett.com, that provides services and products through a network of more than 1,000 campus stores. Follett drives innovation and invests in student-focused services to maximize education and help administration and faculty navigate the digital transition in higher education. Providing the largest selection of digital and print solutions to fit the unique needs of each campus it serves, Follett has created a variety of programs to help reduce the overall cost of education, including its textbook rental program, Rent-A-Text, and its digital textbook platform, CafeScribe®.

SOURCE Follett Higher Education Group