CourseSmart#Vitalsource Bookshelf
{{Short description|American education materials company}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Use American English|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox company
| name = CourseSmart
| type = Private
| industry = {{Unbulletedlist|Education|Software|Publishing}}
| fate = Acquired by Ingram Content Group and integrated into VitalSource eTechnologies
| successor = VitalSource
| founded = {{Start date|2007}}
| founder = {{Unbulletedlist|Macmillan|Cengage Learning|John Wiley & Sons|McGraw-Hill Education|Pearson}}
| defunct = {{End date|2016}}
| hq_location = San Mateo, California
| products = {{Unbulletedlist|E-textbooks|Digital course materials|Distribution software|eReader software}}
| parent = Ingram Content Group
| website = {{URL|http://www.vitalsource.com/}}
}}
CourseSmart, a privately held company headquartered in San Mateo, California, founded in 2007, was a provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials. It was acquired by Ingram Content Group subsidiary VitalSource Technologies in early 2014, and was integrated into the parent company under the VitalSource name and platform by 2016.
Company history
=Launch and growth=
CourseSmart was founded in 2007 by the higher education publishers Macmillan, Cengage Learning, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill Education, and Pearson.{{cite web|date=March 3, 2014|title=Ingram Buys CourseSmart|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/61275-ingram-buys-coursesmart.html|access-date=January 3, 2016|website=Publishers Weekly}}
CourseSmart offered access to e-textbooks via web browser from its foundation in 2007. The company allowed readers to rent e-books, rather than buying physical textbooks at an increased cost.{{Cite news|last=Cates|first=Lindsay|title=Get Smart, Save Money When Buying College Textbooks|work=USNews|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2015/09/18/get-smart-save-money-when-buying-college-textbooks}} Readers had access to both downloadable and online versions of texts.{{Cite web|last=Kessler|first=Sarah|title=6 Companies Aiming to Digitize the Textbook Industry|url=https://mashable.com/2011/05/10/digital-textbook-companies/|access-date=2020-12-12|website=Mashable|language=en}} In August 2009 CourseSmart launched an iPhone app,{{Cite news|last=Stross|first=Randall|date=2009-09-05|title=Texting? No, Just Trying to Read Chapter 6 (Published 2009)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/business/06digi.html|access-date=2020-12-12|issn=0362-4331}} followed by an iPad app in August 2010,{{Cite web|last=Reid|first=Calvin|date=Aug 17, 2010|title=CourseSmart offers iPad App, iPad Give Away|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/44185-coursesmart-offers-ipad-app-ipad-give-away.html|access-date=2020-12-12|website=www.publishersweekly.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/downloads-for-coursesmarts-new-etextbooks-for-the-ipad-app-increase-more-than-fivefold-102437439.html |title=Downloads for CourseSmart's New 'eTextbooks for the iPad' App Increase More than Fivefold |work=PR Newswire |date=September 8, 2010 |access-date=August 6, 2020 |format=press release}} and an Android app in April 2011.{{cite news|url=http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/04/20/coursesmart-launches-e-textbook-app-for-android.aspx |title=CourseSmart Launches E-Textbook App for Android |first=David |last= Nagel |work=Campus Technology |date=April 20, 2011 |access-date=August 6, 2020}} By September 2011, its eTextbooks catalogue had more than 20,000 digital titles, and purchased books could be printed at no extra charge.{{cite news|work=Inc. |url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/201109/hot-new-market-electronic-textbooks.html |title=Hot New Market: Electronic Textbooks |first=Shivani |last=Vora |date=September 2011 |access-date=August 6, 2020}}
By 2014, the company had partnered with around 50 publishers and provided an estimated 90% of the e-textbooks used in higher education. Despite being one of the two largest ebook providers at the time, CourseSmart had remained fairly small at the time of its acquisition by VitalSource Technologies.{{Cite web|title=CourseSmart, the publishing industry's e-textbook provider, acquired by Vital Source|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/04/coursesmart-publishing-industrys-e-textbook-provider-acquired-vital-source|access-date=2020-12-12|website=www.insidehighered.com|language=en}}
=Acquisition by VitalSource Bookshelf=
CourseSmart was acquired by Ingram Content Group subsidiary VitalSource Technologies Inc. in early 2014.{{cite web|website=Campus Technology|date=March 3, 2014|access-date=January 3, 2016|title=Vital Source Acquires CourseSmart|author=Kelly, Rhea|url=https://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/03/03/vital-source-acquires-coursesmart.aspx }} Prior to full integration, VitalSource eTextbooks could not be read on the CourseSmart eTextbook platform and vice versa, and both platforms operated separately with no crossover.{{cite web|url=https://support.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us/articles/203004276-CourseSmart-is-now-part-of-VitalSource |website=VitalSource |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305002908/https://support.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us/articles/203004276-CourseSmart-is-now-part-of-VitalSource |title=Bookshelf Support / Getting Started / Legal |archive-date=March 5, 2016}} Full integration under the VitalSource platform was completed by 2016.{{cite web|url=https://support.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us/articles/212716018-Migrated-CourseSmart-Instructors-FAQ |website=VitalSource |title=Migrated CourseSmart Instructors FAQ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305025645/https://support.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us/articles/212716018-Migrated-CourseSmart-Instructors-FAQ|archive-date=March 5, 2016}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.vitalsource.com/ VitalSource] official website
Category:Educational technology companies of the United States
Category:Companies based in San Mateo, California
Category:American companies disestablished in 2014