VitalSource Expands Reach, Resources and Momentum Among Traditional Two and Four Year Institutions

October 28, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - VitalSource Technologies Inc., an Ingram Content Group Company and a leading educational technology company that provides digital products and services to the education market, today announced an array of new customers who are working with VitalSource to bring digital course materials to state universities and community colleges nationwide. New customers who have recently signed on with VitalSource include: the University of Tennessee; the University of Missouri; Hinds Community Colleges; Iowa Central Community College; Moberly Area Community College; and National University among others. Collectively, more than 100,000 students and more than 8,000 faculty members will benefit from these new digital implementations. By adopting VitalSource, these schools and universities are addressing student success and affordability by ensuring that all students in a course receive the required learning materials at a price that is at least a 50% discount from print textbooks.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the non-profit sector of higher education comprises 90% of the potential market for digital course materials. While the for-profit sector has been enthusiastic early-adopters of digital solutions, mass-market acceptance has only recently begun to accelerate, due in large part, to a growing appetite for digital textbooks among students. According to VitalSource's fifth annual survey of more than 500 students (fielded by Wakefield Research), use of digital textbooks has increased significantly over the past five years from 48% who said they read eTextbooks frequently in 2011, to 78% saying the same in 2015. Students in the survey cited affordability, convenience and interactivity as the primary benefits of digital textbooks.

"We will continue to lead the higher education market by providing advanced educational technologies and expertise to two and four year institutions who want to bring the benefits of digital to their campus," said Kent Freeman, Chief Operating Officer, VitalSource Technologies Inc. "Our work alongside publishers to produce interactive content, the upcoming re-launch of our analytics product, and upcoming adaptive reading solutions are all innovations we are bringing to the market to increase acceptance for digital course materials and to enable improved learning experiences."

The University of Tennessee has had first-hand experience in managing the growing preference for digital course materials. The institution first collaborated with VitalSource to provide digital content for its Health Sciences program in 2013. Students and faculty responded favorably to the affordability and convenience of digital course materials. As a result of favorable feedback from students and faculty, the University of Tennessee is extending their digital strategy to allow students at the Knoxville campus the option to access digital course materials.

"We were early believers in the power of digital solutions to increase access, reduce costs and improve learning for our students and faculty," said Anthony Ferrara, Vice Chancellor/Chief Financial Officer, University of Tennessee Health Science Center. "As we expand our digital program system-wide, VitalSource has been with us every step of the way, helping us to refine and implement our digital strategy from planning and training, all the way though implementation."

About VitalSource
VitalSource Technologies Inc. is a leading educational technology company and the preferred choice among higher education institutions, faculty and publishers who want to provide students with learning experiences that are technologically unrivaled and brilliantly simple. VitalSource has delivered compelling digital content to more than 8 million students in 200 countries and territories worldwide, and we have more than 500,000 titles available in distribution from more than 750 education publishers. For more information about VitalSource Technologies, visit www.vitalsource.com.

About Ingram
Ingram Content Group Inc. is a subsidiary of Nashville-based Ingram Industries Inc. The company got its start in 1964 as a textbook depository and has since grown and transformed into a comprehensive publishing industry services company that offers numerous solutions, including physical book distribution, print-on-demand and digital services. Committed to the success of its partners, Ingram works closely with publishers, retailers, libraries and schools around the world to provide them with the right products and services to help them succeed in the dynamic and increasingly complex world of content publishing. Ingram's operating units are Ingram Book Company, Lightning Source Inc., VitalSource Technologies Inc., Ingram Periodicals Inc., Ingram International Inc., Ingram Library Services Inc., Spring Arbor Distributors Inc., Ingram Publisher Services Inc., Tennessee Book Company LLC, and ICG Ventures Inc. Learn more about Ingram Content Group at www.ingramcontent.com.