Amazon brings Kindle e-books to 11,000 libraries

[seabeyond]

Customers with a library card will be able to browse their local library's website and borrow digital books, which will be sent wirelessly to their Kindle devices and apps. You don't have to have a Kindle device to borrow Kindle books: The program works with Amazon's Kindle apps, which are available on a profusion of mobile devices, and with Kindle Cloud Reader, the company's new Web-based offering.

Books can be borrowed for a set duration, typically around two weeks, after which they are deleted from the borrower's digital collection. Libraries purchase licenses for the books they lend, which limits the number of digital copies that can be "checked out" at the same time.

But don't get too excited about borrowing the latest bestseller without ever setting foot in your local library: Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) has more than 1 million Kindle titles available now, but only a small fraction of them can be digitally borrowed. Publishers decide which books they'll allow libraries to lend out digitally. Some major publishers, including Simon & Schuster and Macmillan, do not currently sell their e-books to libraries.

"Normally, making margin notes in library books is a big no-no. But we're fixing this by extending our Whispersync technology to library books," Jay Marine, director of Amazon Kindle, said in a written statement. "Your notes, highlights and bookmarks are always backed up and available the next time you check out the book or if you decide to buy the book."

http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/21/technology/kindle_amazon_library/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=hp_bn5

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yea. i am so excited

[meegbear]

1. Now THAT is cool!!

[ellie]

2. This is awesome!

My library is one of the 11,000!

[Drale]

3. My library rents out Nooks

but the waiting list is like 6 months long. ITS CRAZY!!

[seabeyond]

4. if you have a nook, you can check out a book now. but our library couldnt get deal with kindle

this is it.

i dont need their kindle or nook, i just want the books, lol

[RamboLiberal]

9. You don't need a Kindle to read the books

Amazon offers a free app for PC's and other devices. If B&N doesn't offer ebook & Amazon does I read on PC or smart phone. OP states you can borrow with Kindle app.

[Riftaxe]

5. Presumably Amazon will follow policy and

yank the books at will, much like they did to customers who actually bought a text.

Think I will stay with my nook, not nearly as infested with DRM and great for accessing the Library's e-books as it is.

[seabeyond]

6. lol.... those that love their nooks

hey, i am glad you love your nook. i don't see it as a competition. i love my kindle. but would love the nook, if that is what i had. don't know what you are talking about yanking books or DRM....

[BeeBee]

7. A couple of years ago Amazon deleted a few titles off of

people's Kindles after they discovered that they didn't have the rights to them. They issued full refunds but people were (understandably) upset that Amazon just went into their accounts and deleted things.

[seabeyond]

8. ahhhh. well, see, before i had one. thanks. nt