kindle/library access

winding trail · 07-16-2011, 03:10 PM

just purchased a kindle yesterday, clerk assured me she can download from cdn livraries. local mlibrary says not so as does trac website. can anyone enlighten me. thanks

JSWolf · 07-16-2011, 03:21 PM

So far I've not seen any of the libraries I access allowing Kindle access yet. I hope you didn't buy a Kindle based on the clerk's misinformation. If you want library eBook access now, you'll have to return the Kindle and get a different reader.

petrucci · 07-16-2011, 03:51 PM

Here is a link to a news story that says that Amazon will release a borrowing service later this year.

http://content.usatoday.com/communit...kindle-books/1

It mentions the service will be available from 11,000 libraries. Unfortunately, the story also states that the libraries will be in the USA. Hopefully the service will be available in other countries as well.

Edit
You may want to explore http://www.overdrive.com They are the company that is partnering with Amazon on this. They list the Toronto Public Library as one of their partners.

pholy · 07-16-2011, 04:21 PM

Are there stores in Canada where you can purchase a Kindle? I thought they all came by snail mail from the Amazon store. I'd like to see one and play with it before I buy yet another ereader.

But JSWolf is right, Kindle access to libraries is a future feature, limited, so far, as petrucci noted, to the US of A.

At the present time, the easiest ereader with library access for Canadians to get is the Kobo. You can look at them at Chapters-Indigo stores, although the clerks may be just as clueless as the one you talked to.

thayerwilliams · 07-17-2011, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pholy

Are there stores in Canada where you can purchase a Kindle? I thought they all came by snail mail from the Amazon store. I'd like to see one and play with it before I buy yet another ereader.

The Source by Circuit City sells them locally and online in BC. I have also seen them in-store at Wal-Mart just over the border in the states, but I don't know if the Canadian outlets are carrying them. Lastly, I have heard that Best Buy stores in Canada are known to carry them, but I can't say for sure.

voracious71 · 07-17-2011, 01:25 PM

I have heard that the lending process will be direct, meaning not having to use ADE(which sucks). Not sure if this will be true..

This is good news though- makes the Kindle pretty much perfection IMO.

stickybuns · 07-17-2011, 01:55 PM

A friend over in Connecticut says that her library just started allowing Kindle lending. She hasn't tried it yet, but said that the librarian told her to download some sort of software off of the library website and that she's be able to log onto her library account and download books to her Kindle for 1-2 weeks.

ETA: Scratch that. We've concluded that the librarian was just confused.

Dimwit · 07-17-2011, 06:23 PM

Your best bet is to talk to your library directly. Not all devices are the same nor are the libraries. You have some homework to do.

CRussel · 07-18-2011, 02:23 PM

As it currently stands, your only working option to use library books on your Kindle is to remove the DRM and convert to Mobi format. This requires tools to remove the DRM (google Apprentice Alf, we're not allowed to be more specific here) and then Calibre to convert from ePub to Mobi.

This isn't hard, but does require some effort on your part to get everything set up. Once set up, it's trivial. But even the setup is all GUI and straightforward.

Vic333 · 07-18-2011, 10:48 PM

I was just going to ask if library epubs could be converted with Calibre (after removal of DRM). It seems like it would work, and it would be the only option right now.

tubemonkey · 07-19-2011, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vic333

I was just going to ask if library epubs could be converted with Calibre (after removal of DRM). It seems like it would work, and it would be the only option right now.

Except it's not your book to begin with. What right does anyone have to remove the DRM on books they don't own?

mldavis2 · 07-19-2011, 07:40 AM

Lack of library access is the Achilles's heel of the Kindle until someone wises up and cuts the red tape. The restrictive DRM used by Amazon to lock Kindles out of so many non-Amazonian book sources will eventually bite them in the butt, I hope. And as @tubemonkey points out, those of us who remove the DRM from our book purchases are ethically challenged when we don't own the book, just borrow it. My current solution is to buy a second eReader that likes ePub format. A cheaper solution would be to simply read it on your computer, but this is uncomfortable for long periods of time and I find the tablets too heavy and awkward as well. So Amazon, having forced me to buy an alternate reader has also potentially lost sales, to me, of their eBook offerings, haven't they ... !

So far, I have found everything I have ever wanted either from online sources, or simply checking out the pBook from the library. We have a very good inter-library loan system (small town here) and can get virtually any book available by Overdrive (or other library eSources) in a week or less as a pBook. So while it is frustrating, it is not really a problem unless I simply refuse to hold a pBook in my hands.

CRussel · 07-19-2011, 10:16 AM

Sorry, I don't see any ethical issue with format shifting a library book. I pay taxes to support that library and enable it to loan books, including eBooks. If I have to remove DRM to use that feature, I'm still well within my ethical comfort zone, provided I don't distribute that eBook beyond my household (same as a pBook), and I delete the book from my Kindle at the end of the loan period.

JSWolf · 07-29-2011, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Sorry, I don't see any ethical issue with format shifting a library book. I pay taxes to support that library and enable it to loan books, including eBooks. If I have to remove DRM to use that feature, I'm still well within my ethical comfort zone, provided I don't distribute that eBook beyond my household (same as a pBook), and I delete the book from my Kindle at the end of the loan period.

You feel justified. But it's not ethical.

JD Gumby · 07-29-2011, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You feel justified. But it's not ethical.

It's completely ethical. Go look up the concept of "fair use". Many countries (including the USA) allow for time- and format-shifting in their copyright laws.

07-16-2011, 03:10 PM	#1
winding trail Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: kindle	kindle/library access just purchased a kindle yesterday, clerk assured me she can download from cdn livraries. local mlibrary says not so as does trac website. can anyone enlighten me. thanks

07-16-2011, 03:51 PM	#3
petrucci Groupie Posts: 198 Karma: 1647827 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Here is a link to a news story that says that Amazon will release a borrowing service later this year. http://content.usatoday.com/communit...kindle-books/1 It mentions the service will be available from 11,000 libraries. Unfortunately, the story also states that the libraries will be in the USA. Hopefully the service will be available in other countries as well. Edit You may want to explore http://www.overdrive.com They are the company that is partnering with Amazon on this. They list the Toronto Public Library as one of their partners. Last edited by petrucci; 07-16-2011 at 03:58 PM.

07-17-2011, 01:55 PM	#7
stickybuns Evangelist Posts: 405 Karma: 479729 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3, Kindle Paperwhite 2	A friend over in Connecticut says that her library just started allowing Kindle lending. She hasn't tried it yet, but said that the librarian told her to download some sort of software off of the library website and that she's be able to log onto her library account and download books to her Kindle for 1-2 weeks. ETA: Scratch that. We've concluded that the librarian was just confused. Last edited by stickybuns; 07-17-2011 at 02:04 PM.

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07-16-2011, 03:21 PM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,897 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	So far I've not seen any of the libraries I access allowing Kindle access yet. I hope you didn't buy a Kindle based on the clerk's misinformation. If you want library eBook access now, you'll have to return the Kindle and get a different reader.

07-16-2011, 04:21 PM	#4
pholy Booklegger Posts: 1,801 Karma: 7999816 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Device: BeBook(1 & 2010), PEZ, PRS-505, Kobo BT, PRS-T1, Playbook, Kobo Touch	Are there stores in Canada where you can purchase a Kindle? I thought they all came by snail mail from the Amazon store. I'd like to see one and play with it before I buy yet another ereader. But JSWolf is right, Kindle access to libraries is a future feature, limited, so far, as petrucci noted, to the US of A. At the present time, the easiest ereader with library access for Canadians to get is the Kobo. You can look at them at Chapters-Indigo stores, although the clerks may be just as clueless as the one you talked to.

07-17-2011, 01:25 PM	#6
voracious71 Addict Posts: 384 Karma: 1360936 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Quahog, RI Device: Nook, Kindle PW4, Kobo Clara	I have heard that the lending process will be direct, meaning not having to use ADE(which sucks). Not sure if this will be true.. This is good news though- makes the Kindle pretty much perfection IMO.

07-17-2011, 06:23 PM	#8
Dimwit Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 12652 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: Kobo	Your best bet is to talk to your library directly. Not all devices are the same nor are the libraries. You have some homework to do.

07-18-2011, 02:23 PM	#9
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,157 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	As it currently stands, your only working option to use library books on your Kindle is to remove the DRM and convert to Mobi format. This requires tools to remove the DRM (google Apprentice Alf, we're not allowed to be more specific here) and then Calibre to convert from ePub to Mobi. This isn't hard, but does require some effort on your part to get everything set up. Once set up, it's trivial. But even the setup is all GUI and straightforward.

07-18-2011, 10:48 PM	#10
Vic333 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 500240 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I was just going to ask if library epubs could be converted with Calibre (after removal of DRM). It seems like it would work, and it would be the only option right now.

07-19-2011, 07:40 AM	#12
mldavis2 Coffee Nut Posts: 410 Karma: 298350 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Missouri Device: Kindle 3; K4PC; Calibre	Lack of library access is the Achilles's heel of the Kindle until someone wises up and cuts the red tape. The restrictive DRM used by Amazon to lock Kindles out of so many non-Amazonian book sources will eventually bite them in the butt, I hope. And as @tubemonkey points out, those of us who remove the DRM from our book *purchases* are ethically challenged when we don't own the book, just borrow it. My current solution is to buy a second eReader that likes ePub format. A cheaper solution would be to simply read it on your computer, but this is uncomfortable for long periods of time and I find the tablets too heavy and awkward as well. So Amazon, having forced me to buy an alternate reader has also potentially lost sales, to me, of their eBook offerings, haven't they ... ! So far, I have found everything I have ever wanted either from online sources, or simply checking out the pBook from the library. We have a very good inter-library loan system (small town here) and can get virtually any book available by Overdrive (or other library eSources) in a week or less as a pBook. So while it is frustrating, it is not really a problem unless I simply refuse to hold a pBook in my hands.

07-19-2011, 10:16 AM	#13
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,157 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Sorry, I don't see any ethical issue with format shifting a library book. I pay taxes to support that library and enable it to loan books, including eBooks. If I have to remove DRM to use that feature, I'm still well within my ethical comfort zone, provided I don't distribute that eBook beyond my household (same as a pBook), and* I delete the book from my Kindle at the end of the loan period.*

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