New library app brings high-demand Audible content to Edmonton

A person enjoying an audio book at the Edmonton Public Library in an undated file photo. (Courtesy: Edmonton Public Library)

The Edmonton Public Library (EPL) has launched a new app which will deliver more audio content to Edmontonians than ever before.

The Palace Project App is a free service which lets Edmontonians access digital content including audiobooks, eBooks and – for the first time in the library's history – content from Audible.

"We are proud to finally offer Audible exclusive audiobooks to our customers, as it has been a request for quite some time," said EPL's executive director of collections, marketing and technology Vicky Varga in a Wednesday press release.

"The Palace Project App expands our collection into new territory, and we’re excited to be one of the first libraries to introduce it to Canada," she added.

According to EPL, Edmonton has experienced increased demand for digital content by 57 per cent since 2018, which bodes well for the app as its growth and development "are driven by user engagement."

The all-in-one platform is a collaboration between EPL, Vancouver Public Library and Lyrasis, an app developer based in the United States.

The app is built on an open-source codebase of an app used at the New York Public Library called 'Library Simplified.'

It is available for download on the App Store and Android's Google Play store.