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NEW YORK: Owners of the Kindle from Amazon.com will be able to download e-books from 11,000 US libraries later this year, the company said Wednesday.
Most US libraries already provide e-books, which work with nearly all e-readers except the Kindle. They’re also accessible on many smartphones and tablets like the iPad. Amazon.com Inc. says it’s working with OverDrive Inc., which runs e-book systems for public libraries, to make the system compatible with the Kindle.
According to OverDrive, Kindle e-books will have the same lending terms as existing library e-books. Most libraries lend their books out for three weeks at a time. The e-books on Kindle will no longer open after that period of time.
Libraries have a limited number of “copies” of each e-book, so borrowers sometimes must wait for popular titles. OverDrive said borrowers will browse for titles on PCs or phones, and can then chose to have them delivered to a Kindle or Amazon’s Kindle applications for other devices, including phones and PCs. On iPhones and Android phones, borrowers can browse for books and download them directly today.
