Earlier today we linked Amazon’s press release stating that its Kindle e-books were available in 11,000 libraries nationwide. In some respects Amazon may have jumped the gun a little, as I found when I went looking for these books via my own local library (which lends out Overdrive e-books). I didn’t find anything for the Kindle, so I used the contact form to email an inquiry about it. A librarian replied that “our [Overdrive] representative has told us that we can expect Kindle books within the next week,” and linked me to Overdrive’s own press release on the matter....

Amazon’s convenience store package drops aren’t the only new thing it’s testing in Seattle. Reports are surfacing that Seattle area libraries are the first to get to try Amazon’s new Overdrive-based Kindle library lending program. Patrons with Kindles can download time-limited-license e-books in Amazon’s AZW format via WiFi or USB. The books can be checked out from one’s own home via Amazon’s website, but require a library card from the library making the lend. It’s not clear to me that there’s anything particularly special about this program compared to other Overdrive library e-book lending, save that the Kindle and...

When Amazon promised to introduce its Kindle format to public libraries earlier this year, the company would only say that it would come before the end of 2011. There's still been no official announcement, but now OverDrive's own CEO Steve Potash has dropped a not-too-subtle hint that September is the launch month: Throughout the conference, CEO Steve Potash, looking like a kid with a delicious secret, kept saying "soon" and, "I'm not allowed to announce a date yet." During the final session, he delivered a broad hint, by summarizing the main points of his "Crystal Ball Report" : Streamlining (both downloading...

From an OverDrive blog post: The days of having to dig your library card out when you’re trying to download an eBook at the doctor’s office (or park, or airport terminal, or a bar mitzvah) are over. With the latest update to OverDrive-powered mobile sites, users will have the option for their devices to store their library card numbers. Starting now, when customers check out a title, the device will have a box where they can check “Remember me on this device.” The device will then hold the characters in its memory for 90 days after each use. This is...

Next month, 3M's recent investment in German ebook device company txtr will bear fruit in a pilot program in Minneapolis. TwinCities.com reports that the library system there will test 3M's new cloud-based ebook library lending service using cloud-connected kiosks and custom ereader devices that users who don't own any hardware will be able to check out. Allowing library patrons to check out an actual e-reader does come with some security concerns. But the St. Paul libraries are comfortable with the risk. "Our biggest focus is giving access to people who can't afford them," said Sheree Savage, a spokeswoman for the St. Paul...

Overdriveblogs.com writes that after a successful recent beta-testing period, starting today the company is rolling out a DRM-free ebook option to all libraries. Here's a list of some of the publishers who are participating (although territory issues may impact availability in some cases): AMG Bold Strokes Books Books to Go Now Carina Press Gideon Informatics Joe Konrath KBS Microsoft Press O’Reilly Media Rock Nook Romance Divine LLC Rosenfeld Media Sher Music Simonelli Editore TidBITS University Press of Colorado Wildside Press More from the blog post: "All DRM-free eBooks are available under the one-copy/one-user model, which means you can add a copy to your collection and one user at a time can borrow the title from the library. Just...

The Bookseller reports that some serious discussion is going on in the UK between publishers and librarians over rules for e-book lending at libraries. Back in October we reported on the UK Publishers Association setting down restrictive ground rules to prevent library users from downloading e-books outside of library facilities—a move that would eliminate one of the biggest advantages e-books have. (It turned out that these restrictions had apparently been brought on by people from China “joining British libraries and plundering their virtual collections for free.”) At the moment, some British publishers do permit library lending (via e-book lending...

Publishers Weekly takes a long, interesting look at the question of library e-books and what they mean for both the publishing and library industries. To some librarians’ surprise, library e-books are proving extremely popular with patrons. "It's amazing," says Diane Eidelman, administrator for member services at the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, a consortium of over 50 libraries on New York's Long Island. "We just can't keep up with the e-book demand. We'll purchase an enormous amount of content, and within 24 hours it's all checked out." Indeed, the numbers tell the story....

The Bookseller’s FutureBook blog is carrying a post by e-book distributor OverDrive, touting the benefits of multi-channel distribution for e-books. Concentrating solely on e-book stores such as those for Kindle and Nook ignores readers who buy from other places or borrow from libraries, OverDrive notes. In 2010, 718 million book and title catalog pages were viewed via OverDrive “virtual branch” library pages, but only 15 million digital titles were checked out, meaning that readers are viewing information about books through their libraries before making purchases elsewhere. But libraries are just a start. Adding titles to retail...

HarperCollins President of Sales Josh Marwell posted a response to angered librarians on the Harper Library blog (which ironically features a header graphic with flowers and butterflies and the words “Library Love Fest”) concerning its recent imposition of a 26-checkout limit for library e-books. Marwell explains that HarperCollins is “committed to libraries” but concerned that unlimited library e-book lending could “undermine the emerging e-book eco-system, hurt the growing e-book channel, place additional pressure on physical bookstores, and in the end lead to a decrease in book sales and royalties paid to authors.” He points out that twenty-six...

Library Journal reports that HarperCollins has issued new terms to Overdrive for how many times a library e-book can be loaned out. Library Journal reports that HarperCollins has declared a library-purchased e-book may only be loaned 26 times before it must be re-purchased. This bears a certain similarity to agency pricing in that not just Overdrive but any library e-book provider dealing with HC will be required to abide by those terms. The publisher also issued a short statement: "HarperCollins is committed to the library channel. We believe this change balances the value libraries get from...

From the press release: Libraries and schools worldwide were at the forefront of the eBook boom in 2010, as patrons and students downloaded millions of digital books for iPhone®, Android™, Sony® Reader, NOOK™, and personal computers. More than one million new users signed on to access free eBooks, audiobooks, and more from ‘Virtual Branch’ websites last year, resulting in a 200 percent increase in eBook checkouts and a 52 percent increase in audiobook checkouts over 2009. To find eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video titles from a library near you, visit http://search.overdrive.com.   Key statistics for...