Public libraries in the German-speaking world are about to look very different. OverDrive has bought Divibib to replace the old Onleihe system with its own platform.
If you live in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, you probably know Onleihe. It is not the prettiest app in the world, but it works, and almost every municipal library seems to use it. Now, that familiar German system is about to become American.
Digital provider OverDrive has just acquired Divibib, the company behind Onleihe based in Reutlingen. For years, Divibib was quietly powering digital loans for thousands of local readers. But can a regional player survive on its own today? Apparently not.
OverDrive is already massive. If you have ever borrowed an ebook through the Libby app in the UK or the US, you know the interface. It is slick, fast, and clearly built with serious budget behind it.
But do we really need another single American giant running all our public services?
Claudia Weissman, the head of OverDrive Europe, says libraries will no longer have to choose between local expertise and modern technology. That sounds tidy on a press release. In reality, it means European readers and libraries will slowly migrate over to Libby and Sora.
Divibib will stay in Reutlingen for now, and existing access should continue during the transition period. That is practical.
Yet it is hard not to notice a familiar pattern here. A large US platform buys the local standard, promises efficiency, and consolidates the market.
Will the reading experience improve? Almost certainly, because Onleihe was overdue for a technical refresh. But every time a homegrown European platform gets absorbed, our digital ecosystem loses a bit of independence. Are we simply too comfortable outsourcing our cultural infrastructure?
Via: Publishers Weekly
