
Amazon to offer Library Lending to Kindle through Overdrive - tylerrooney
http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/04/20/amazon-partnering-with-overdrive-to-bring-kindle-library-lending-to-11000-libraries-across-the-us/
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atacrawl
This is _huge_ for Amazon, because it eliminates the one competitive advantage
the Nook (and others to a lesser extent) had over the Kindle -- compatibility
with libraries.

As far as the potential for format fragmentation goes, it's still the wild
west as far as the relationship between libraries, publishers and e-books go.

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anon238429483
We have this wonderful technology called "computers". It allows us to
replicate information with a marginal cost approaching zero, and yet we
continue to handicap its potential so that it could resemble the printing
press of the 16th century.

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pnathan
Correct. The publishers are trying to enforce scarcity, so that they can make
money.

Said money redirects - eventually - into the coffers of those who are the
creators.

If there is no scarcity, then there is no incentive to give creators besides
your personal ethics.

Supply/Demand/Price curve. If supply is infinite, then price goes towards
zero.

If price goes towards zero, then no one gets paid except by
sponsors/patrons[1]. Are you sure that's the world you want writers and
musicians to live in?

\--- [1] Do you want those sponsors to control the ideology spoken by artists?

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rmc
If your conclusion was correct, the music industry would have run out of money
and died. That has not happened yet. How do you explain how your theory does
not match observed reality?

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pnathan
Things take time to play out. Plus, physical CDs are still pretty popular it
seems.

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rmc
How long? We're 10 years after Metallica sued Napster and the music industry
is still going strong.

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dr_
This is really awesome. I realize there will be limitations with the borrowing
(despite the fact that they are digital books, there will be a limited number
of "copies" available to be distributed at a given time), but that's totally
understandable. I do hope, however, that you don't have to actually be at the
library to download the books, that it can be done remotely.

If they throw a full functioning OS, like Android, on the next Kindle, keeping
it at it's current size, I'm all there.

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muhfuhkuh
They have that already, but Amazon doesn't make it and it's called the Nook
Color. I've got one and am using it more than my iPad.

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ben1040
Any idea if this will still subject participate libraries to publishers' rules
surrounding e-books, like HarperCollins' idiotic 26-circulation limit?

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jamesbritt
My concern is that making ebooks easier for libraries to obtain will encourage
them to reduce or eliminate the printed version.

More most reading I prefer having a book, and every so often I look for
something in my local library and find they only have some electronic version.

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elliskim
If I live in one city, would I be able to access the library of another city?
Do all libraries essentially converge into one big cloud based library?

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sbisker
It wouldn't be _that_ new if they did - we already have interlibrary loan,
especially within states and throughout academia. Just go to worldcat.org,
look up the book you want, and see if your library can do ILL with any of the
libraries that come up.

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pnathan
Massively awesome.

I need to start showing up at my local library meetings.

edit:

For the purpose of working to bring e-books to our local library system.

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revorad
Yet another one of those times when I wish I lived in America. I don't want to
move, so I'm going to start inventing the future right here damnit.

~~~
gmurphy
I'm an Australian living in America; I sometimes seriously cite the lack of an
Australian Amazon (or real equivalent) as one reason not to move back. Other,
more normal Australians don't disagree.

