The University of Michigan Press is growing rapidly in the digital arena, announcing recently that its selection of books available in electronic formats has grown to 500.

In an unusual move for a university press, U-M Press titles are available directly from its web site in addition to other outlets.

Available formats include Amazon's Kindle, PDF, MP3 audio and others. Prices vary widely depending on the title.

From the UMP announcement:

"The Press made a commitment to leadership in digital printing when it officially became part of the University of Michigan Library in July. The offering of this many digital versions of books previously available only in print is an important step in that process.

"There are now 500 titles, ranging from backlist academic texts to freshly published trade paperbacks, posting for sale in a variety of electronic formats. About half will be available in December 2009; the rest will post in January 2010. This list will continue to grow as the Press pursues its goal of providing almost its entire backlist in electronic format for digital distribution around the world.

"'This landmark achievement signals our full entrance as a player in the world of digital books,' Press Director Phil Pochoda said. 'Coming right on the heels of the installation of our own digital shopping cart, it signifies that our digital bona fides are second to none in the university press world.'"

For more information on U-M Press' digital efforts, visit its web site.