Encouraging local news item about Kindle and public library lending

MAYBE GOOD NEWS

Leslie DeLoose, reference and community services librarian for the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia, New York, writes a monthly column for The Daily News.  In today's edition, she included an encouraging statement:

' Early word is that Kindle owners will be able to borrow eBooks from the library in September.  This is on the library’s webpage and is administered through OverDrive.  Watch for details. '

I didn't find it on their webpage, but her written word is definitely good to read.

  She may be basing it on Overdrive CEO Steve Potash's dropped hint at their Digipalooza event, or she may, in her position, know more (which is very likely),and it's stated in a definite way, so there is hope,  at least here :-)


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Amazon's Public Library Lending program to to begin in September??

OVERDRIVE DROPS A HINT

We'd heard "by the end of the year" from Jay Marine, Amazon's Kindle Director, and then, on a June 3 blog entry here, seen that the Moorestown Patch, in an article titled "Library Keeping Up with Technology," said:

' (Attention all Kindle users -- Amazon will be making their e-books available on Overdrive starting this fall.) '

And I'd hoped they were right.

  Well, could be!  Nancy Picchi wrote on Google+ that paidContent's Laura Hazard Owen reported a strong hint from OverDrive CEO Steve Potash, which she read at EarlyWord, The Publisher|Librarian Connection.

  At OverDrive's Digipalooza, the question most in librarians' minds was "when Kindle users will be able to download from OverDrive."

  EarlyWord reports that Potash kept saying "soon" and "I'm not allowed to announce a date yet" -- but then at the final session, he dropped a broad hint by "summarizing the main points of his 'Crystal Ball Report'":

Streamlining (both downloading and ordering)
Explosion (we have gone from two reading devices to 85 and more are coming)
Premium (the library catalog as the most premium,
    value-added site on the Web)
Traffic (enormous growth coming by year’s end)

paidContent's Owen adds that "OverDrive previously announced its new platform for libraries, OverDrive WIN, which includes support for Kindle, patron-driven e-book acquisition and “always available” e-book collections.  There's a bit more on the WIN platform enhancements at EarlyWord's article.

Earlier:
  . The Kindle Chronicles interviews Amazon's Jay Marine re Library Lending, etc.
  . More on Kindle Lending Library - How it would work. Reactions & Analyses.  April 21, 2011
  . 11, 000 Local Libraries in Kindle Lending Library - Amazon did it quietly.   April 20, 2011

---

For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics - USA: by: NEW:  June  July  Aug 2011    Publication Date   Late-listed    Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

The Kindle Chronicles interviews Amazon's Jay Marine re Library Lending, etc.

AMAZON'S JAY MARINE ANSWERS SOME QUESTIONS IN THE KINDLE CHRONICLES FRIDAY PODCAST

  Kindle Director Jay Marine is interviewed by Len Edgerly for last Friday's podcast at thekindlechronicles.com.

SPECIAL OFFERS: some want these for older Kindles
  For each podcast, Len has a text summary with a description of what's covered in the various regular sections, and it's the most relaxing way to catch up with the week's Kindle news.

  They start out by discussing the new $114 Kindle with Special Offers and Ads (the Special Offers being a carrot for the currently low-key ads said to subsidize lower-cost Kindles).

The initial offers include:
  . $10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card
  . $6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $68)
  . $1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store
      (choice of over 1 million albums)
  . $10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop
  . Free $100 Amazon.com Gift Card when you get an
      Amazon Rewards Visa Card (normally $30)
  . Buy one of 30 Kindle bestsellers with your Visa card
      to get a $10 Amazon.com credit
  . 50% off Roku Streaming Player (normally $99)

As more ads are bought by companies to be displayed on the ads-supported Kindle, it'll be interesting to watch the ratio of ads to special offers.

  While I've not been interested in this for myself, others who have Kindles already are asking, on forums, that the older Kindles get updated software to get the special offers too.  Of course, the ads would come along with those special offers.

  Marine is asked if Amazon has plans to do something like this for those wanting the special offers in a software update.  You can hear the answer at the podcast.

KINDLE LIBRARY LENDING
A question asked in the discussion of how the Kindle Library Lending will be run involved whether or not Amazon would use Adobe's DRM (digital rights management) process as Barnes & Noble, Sony, and Kobe do.

  In my article on how the Lending Library would probably function, vs how it's run for the other e-reader companies, I didn't think Amazon would be using Adobe's DRM.

  Marine confirms that they will not be using Adobe's DRM and that when you opt to borrow a library e-book that's available, you'll be able to have it within 60 seconds without needing to download any other software.  That's a big advantage.  And it means, to me, that Amazon will provide the download in order to track annotations and keep them for the users for possible future use.

  According to Marine, they waited until they could do it 'right' because their entire goal with the Kindle has been to make downloads seamless and fast.

  They discuss how it won't be ready right away.  Len asks some good questions during the interview.  He doesn't ask about the rumored Android tablet, he explains, since Amazon has a policy of not talking about possible coming products.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   K3 Special, $114   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.