Kindle Gets Library Book Lending

Users of Amazon's Kindle e-reader will shortly be able to steal electronic books from libraries in the US.

The tradesman is teaming up with Overdrive, that already offers an e-book lending service by 11,000 American libraries.

Until right away Kindle owners have been not able to to download titles since the device uses a unique record format.

Overdrive moreover operates in the UK, however Amazon would not declare if its skeleton add Britain.

It mentioned the US network would launch after that in the year.

Borrowed books will be existing on Amazon's own Kindle reader together with other gadgets running the Kindle software, inclusive iPads and Android tablets.

Anyone wanting to steal a announcement must be a associate of their local library.

Titles are downloaded by the library's website and are automatically private after a set number of days, with a limit loan time of 3 weeks.

Overdrive has been in business for a few years and offers hundreds of thousands of books to readers whose gadgets use the epub record format.

However, Amazon has its own exclusive system, formed on the Mobipocket format, that includes a digital rights administration network to head off copying.

The fact that Overdrive is at last taking advantage of that technology has been broadly welcomed by attention watchers, but has left some categorically underwhelmed.

"This is a me too move," mentioned Martin Hoscik, who runs the website eBook Magazine.

"There is no enhancement here. It is similar to congratulating Channel 5 for report their cinema in colour when everybody else has been carrying out it for years."

Nevertheless, the widespread location of Kindle in the e-book marketplace is expected to elevate the form of library lending.

"I am in foster of anything that gives readers an chance to books around a library system," mentioned Phil Bradley, clamp boss of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

Currently in the UK, 33 out of the country's 151 library authorities make use of the Overdrive system.

If that was to be lengthened to Kindles, questions would must be answered about its implementation, mentioned Mr Bradley.

In particular, he called for more sum about Amazon's outline to let users add records to e-books. "How will the sojourn confidential?" he asked.

Amazon has indicated that it will apply oneself the conditions of lending use laid out by publishers.

In the box of Harper Collins, the firm has stipulated that its books, once purchased by a library, can usually be done existing for 26 loans, before being erased permanently.