Libraries, Amazon and Privacy

Amazon Kindle owners will probably have heard by now that they can borrow ebooks from libraries (through Overdrive) and read the books on their readers. This was exciting and long-anticipated news, since Kindles are so popular among e-reading devices. There is a new wrinkle, however, making its way into librarian discussion groups. Public libraries have very strict guidelines (embedded in state laws, and American Library Association principles) about the confidentiality of library records--specifically the borrowing history of its patrons. Short of a court order, those records are erased and unavailable to anyone when a book is returned. So what about the borrowing records of Kindle ebooks? Those records, are the property of Amazon and are used to sharpen their marketing of similar books to their customers. The discussion is still in its early stages, so no one knows yet how (or whether) public libraries will be able to uphold its principles and continue to deliver ebooks in this very popular format. The Minuteman Library Network will discuss the issue in its November meeting. Stay tuned...
--RL

eBooks for Kindle Now At Wellesley Free Library

The Wellesley Free Library has been providing eBooks for a while now through a company called Overdrive. We are glad to announce that our selection of eBooks are now available for the Kindle.

All you need is a library card.

Visit our collection of eBooks Here.

Instructions on how to download our books to your Kindle click Here.

eBooks are also available from the following free websites.

Project Gutenberg

Internet Archive

Feedbooks

Baen Free Library

TB

Kindle and Overdrive

As Kindle users look forward to the day when they can download from Overdrive, we librarians view the future with a mix of excitement and anxiety. We look forward to serving Kindle users and hope we can buy enough copies to meet the increased demand. Overdrive CEO Steve Potash, when asked this week when this history making event will occur, would not offer any details other than 'soon'. But Potash did deliver a favorable report for public libraries when he recommended the library website as the first place to go to find in-copyright ebooks. For titles that the library does not own, users may suggest that their local library buy the title or buy it themselves from an ebook retailer. As a result, he predicted that the "value of owning a library card will grow exponentially and traffic will make last year's increases look like small fry". We await the future.

-DB





-DB

Kindle Owners!!!

For those who haven't yet heard the news...
Amazon and Overdrive have reached an agreement whereby Overdrive users will be able to download books onto their Kindle e-book readers. Just to back up a little for those who may think overdrive is just past 4th gear and that kindle produces fires: Overdrive is the distributor many libraries use to circulate digital books and audio books. Books can be downloaded to your computer or to any number of mobile devices. Because there are many devices, each with their own software and licensing rights, it's been a little confusing to sort it all out. The biggest player in the mobile bookreader world has been Amazon Books with their Kindle. Unfortunately for Overdrive (and Kindle) users, no books in the Overdrive catalog could be downloaded to the Kindle. Hence the big announcement: "Sometime in 2011" Kindle books will be able to be downloaded from Overdrive. (Overdrive, a.k.a. Digital Media Catalog, is available from the list of Library databases or from the Wellesley Free Library home page).
--RL