By Don Riley/Network Indiana
11/18/2009
Gannett's USA Today is testing a new online edition of its newspaper with students at Indiana University.
The e-edition of USA Today is free for students, faculty and staff on the Bloomington campus.
Robert McDonald, IU associate dean for library technology, says the e-edition went online last week. Several university departments worked together to make the online distribution of the newspaper compatible with the university's existing computer network.
McDonald says USA Today is also testing new software that produces an electronic edition of the newspaper that is very close to reading a regular newspaper.
Although he didn't have exact figures, McDonald says since the e-edition became available, they've tracked heavy "hits" on it.
Newspapers nationwide have been struggling with ways of dealing with the explosion of online news sources and declining readership. Last month, USA Today reported the worst readership drop in its history.
In addition to IU, the pilot program is being conducted at Penn State and Missouri.
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