Follett, Baker and Taylor Team to Provide Free Access toPreK-12 Interactive Resources for Public Library Partners
? Lightbox, AV 2 World Languages Ideal Distance Learning Solutions for Students ?

MCHENRY, Ill., April 15, 2020 - As more states extend school closures through the remainder of the school year, Follett and Baker & Taylor today announced they are collaborating to provide its public library partners with free access through June 30 to Lightbox and AV2 World Languages, interactive resources that allow students to independently study and learn.

Follett, in partnership with Weigl Publishers, made a free offer in late March to schools worldwide of Lightbox, a PreK-12 interactive ebook platform, and AV2 World Languages, a K-3 ebook program. More than 21,000 schools have signed up for the offer in the first 25 days.

"All students will find something for themselves as they can search various interest and reading levels, genres, subjects, languages, and more," said Shannon Miller, a K-12 district teacher librarian at Van Meter Community School District in Iowa. "The Lightbox and AV2 World Languages' ebooks play an important part in the learning, reading, and fun our students ? and families ? need during this time of distance learning."

Bringing learning to life, Lightbox uses video, audio, and text to explore content aligned with national and state standards and is ideal for student at-home use. The more than 1,000 high-interest titles cover subjects for PreK-2 students, plus grades 3-6, 6-8, and 9-12. Each of the Lightbox titles features learning reinforced through slideshows, activities, quizzes, vocabulary, and at-home printable worksheets, as well as Google Maps to provide further context.

Ideal for visual learners and striving readers, AV2 World Languages is a collection of 1,000 audio ebooks comprised of 100 high-interest titles in 10 languages. The program creates an immersive language-learning experience while supporting diversity and multiculturalism.

Lightbox and AV2 World Languages can be accessed by educators, parents, and students on all devices; no special setup is required.

"We at Baker & Taylor are challenging ourselves to serve our library partners and their communities effectively, especially during these unprecedented times," said Aman Kochar, executive vice president of Baker & Taylor, the premier provider of books, digital content and technology solutions to public libraries. "Communities are looking to their libraries for more digital resources than ever before and we are excited to answer the call."

Public libraries interested in this free offer should register here. Contact your Baker & Taylor representative about other digital resources to support your library community during this time, or contact the Axis 360 team at axis.360support@baker-taylor.

For a complete list of:
? Follett's at-home eLearning solutions, visit this resource page; and
? Baker & Taylor's public library digital solutions, visit its resource page.

To view a video from one school's (Cotton Creek School in Island Lake, Ill.) use of Lightbox, visit http://bcove.me/azawjhgt.
To learn more about the AV2 World Languages program, visit https://bit.ly/3a7B1DD.


About Follett's PreK-12 Business | FollettLearning.com
Follett is the largest provider of educational materials and technology solutions to PreK-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers and school districts in the United States, and a major supplier to educational institutions worldwide. Follett distributes books, reference materials, digital resources, ebooks and audiovisual materials, as well as pre-owned textbooks. Follett also is one of the leading providers of integrated educational technology for the management of physical and digital assets, the tracking, storing and analyzing of academic data, and digital learning environment tools for the classroom focusing on student achievement.

Find Follett on Facebook, and follow on Twitter (@FollettLearning).

About Baker & Taylor | Baker-Taylor.com
Baker & Taylor is a premier provider of books, digital content and technology solutions that help public libraries improve community outcomes through literacy and learning. Baker & Taylor is part of Follett Corporation, a trusted global source of books, digital content and technologies that help inspire learning and shape education.

Media Contacts:
Doug Thompson
Thompson Drake Public Relations
541.419.4471
doug@thompsondrake.com

Tom Kline
VP, Follett Corporate Communications
708.200.8610
tkline@follett.com