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Topic: Mobility

Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

Summary: Amazon said it will close its library lending gap with other e-readers. The company will work with Overdrive to enable Kindle library book lending.

Larry Dignan

By for Between the Lines |

Amazon on Wednesday said it will close its library lending gap with other e-readers.

The company announced a new feature called Kindle Library Lending, which will launch later this year. Kindle users will be able to borrow Kindle books from 11,000 libraries.

Amazon's move comes a bit late. Sony has a library program and so does Barnes & Noble's Nook via a service called Overdrive. In fact, Amazon will also work with Overdrive, but add a few perks to its library program.

  • Library books will be able to be checked out and read on all Kindle apps.
  • If a book is purchased, its notes and bookmarks will be preserved.
  • Amazon's Whispersync will enable margin notes and highlights on library books. These notes disappear when another person checks out a book. If you check the book out again your notes reappear.

In the big picture, Amazon is making Overdrive a standard of sorts. Overdrive supports Apple's iPad, the Kindle, Kobo's e-reader. Barnes & Noble, Sony, Pandigital and other vendors. Now Amazon's Kindle format is likely to become a library staple just due to market heft.

Topics: Mobility, Amazon, Hardware

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Talkback

51 comments
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  • Wrong library...

    Darn, when I read the title I thought "Amazon is letting users lend kindle books in their collection to other users? Far out!"
    But this is pretty cool too. Maybe more people will go to libraries.
    Bucky24
    Reply Vote

    • Re: Wrong library

      @Bucky24 Better yet, you don't need to go to the library, all on the local library website - put a hold, check out, download to Overdrive, transfer to Nook (now to Kindle too). After 3 weeks it expires.
      vlad-tch
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

        @vlad-tch

        dont tell everyone, the book are hard enough to get as it stands.
        evilcart
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

        @evilcart

        Ain't that the truth! I've had a "hold" on one particular eBook for over a month, and I'm still something like 20th in line.

        Seems like the next thing that has to happen is Overdrive needs to strike deals for larger bulk packages in their licenses. Or... I suppose they just view the hassle as a way to keep end-users from really latching onto the eLibrary idea and, instead, drive them to buy the book.
        csteinola
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

        @vlad-tch
        I tried downloading a novel for my wife via: overdrive from the main library in Portland OR where i have an account, and when i tried to transfer it to the ColorNook it refused to let me do that.
        keynthwest@...
        Reply Vote

    • That functionality is coming as well...

      @Bucky24

      From what i've read, it will be sometime this year (the 'library lending' was probably a bigger deal)

      Not sure how concrete this is, but supposedly a Kindle user will be able to share a book to another user w/ different account, one time and for a period of 14 days.

      Have to see whether those stipulations hold up though.
      UrNotPayingAttention
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

        @chmod 777 sayeth: "Kindle user will be able to share a book to another user w/ different account, one time and for a period of 14 days."
        .
        Kindle owners can already do that, the functionality was added a few months ago.
        dfreeman@...
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

      @Bucky24 B&N's Nook does this - you can loan a book to a friend (with or w/o a Nook - can lend to mobile or PC formats) for two weeks. Nice feature that makes it like a 'real' book. As well as compatibility with Google Books, other ebooks formats that means you don't have to buy all your content from B&N (or buy it at all!) Made the difference for me when shoppign for e-readers.
      MissLiz
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

      @Bucky24 Hi Bucky, you can already lend your Kindle books to your friends that also have a Kindle, just go to the "My Kindle" section of your Amazon account page,
      HTH
      rodbarw
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

    This is awesome and long overdue. Now I wonder what Rep Jesse Jackson Jr. has to say about THIS?? How many jobs lost, publishing industry imacted, etc etc. As much as I love libraries, this ROCKS.
    podstolom
    Reply Vote

    • Rep Jesse Jackson Jr. is a nitwit

      @podstolom ; Rep Jesse Jackson Jr. probably doesn't "do" books . . .
      pete_w_flynn@...
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

    Kindle's lack of library lending was the reason I recently bought a Nook. Probably when this feature is launched (I am not holding my breath for the elusive "later this year") I will seriously consider replacing my refurbished Nook with a new Kindle.
    staylor@...
    Reply Vote

  • Amazon Kindle to Support Library Lending

    This will be great. This has been the only thing that made me regret getting a Kindle over other e-readers.
    dsousa@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

    Best news ever!!!! I won a Kindle in a contest a while back and my local library decided to subscribe to Overdrive but Kindle wasn't supported. Now, once this program starts, I will be able to borrow e-books from the library and since many newly published books are added to Overdrive, I'll be able to do this from home and I won't need to make as many trips to the local library. Thank you, Amazon!
    miss_grundy
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

    One thing made me get a Nook and not a Kindle was that the Kindle would not read epub books. Also you could not check out an ebook from the library and convert it to a format that the Kindle recognizes. So I got a Nook Color instead.
    Now if this will let me read the books I have gotten from Amazon on my Nook it will be great!
    jbrown@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

      @jbrown@... I also have a Nook Color - I am running Android Froyo (on a micro SD card until the warranty expires) which allows me to run the Android Kindle app on it. Talk about the best of both worlds!
      saneu@...
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

        @saneu@... How does that work; (running the Android Froyo on the Micro SD card)? Did you download that program on a PC and then just run it on the Nook? i heard that if you "root" a Colornook it will void the warranty too. Nobody and B&N wants to talk about it. I got an extended warranty from Squaretrade..Do they care if it has been rooted?
        Thanks Pete Walls, (keynthwest@hotmail.com)
        keynthwest@...
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

      @jbrown@... The Android Market has a free Kindle app so you can read your Amazon books on the Nook now
      fdaugherty
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Amazon Kindle to support library lending; Closes gap with Sony, Barnes & Noble

    I'm a librarian and I must say I'm a bit disappointed in Overdrive...at least the way it's set up here in NE. Any book I might be interested in reading always has a waiting list...it could be weeks or months before it's my turn. We don't have it at my library(small) and I'm kind of waiting to see some improvements.
    Lib_lady
    Reply Vote

    • Overdrive not the cause of long wait queues

      @Lib_lady The problem is not Overdrive, but the Library. If the library only buys one E-copy of the book, then they can only lend out one copy via Overdrive. So if the wait is long, ask the library to purchase more copies.
      GFBuchanan
      Reply Vote
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