How Kindle library lending has changed my reading habits
 

Or more, how it's changed them back. . .

I don't own a Kindle, I'm on my 2nd Sony, so I've been borrowing ebooks from my public library for about a year and half. Waiting lists were once short or non-existent. I could pretty much get any book I wanted immediately or within a week.

My library is part of a statewide consortium, so when Kindle lending came in, usage shot through the roof (all those Kindle owners in Portland are messing in my playground!) There's a waiting list for EVERYTHING! And I'm only allowed six holds.

Well, not really everything - which is how things have changed. If I want to check out something NOW, I have to go to the 'available ebooks' tab and browse. Which is what I used to do when I read pbooks - spend hours browsing the stacks, finding things that looked interesting that I would not have found otherwise.

So right now I'm reading a novel about the Whiskey Rebellion that I would not have found by searching, because I would not have looked for it.

I only wish I could browse by genre.

Lemonade, anyone?

I too have noticed that wait lists are huge now. Bezos screws users yet again. We had a pretty good thing going. Now we have Kindle library books and wait lists like years long.

There is a wait list for many ebooks at my public library as well. Since I'm reading them for free, I don't mind the wait.

Funny... I've borrowed far more library ebooks than I ever did before Kindle library lending went live. :shrug:

Don't get me wrong - I think ebook library lending is a wonderful thing and am happy it's being extended to Kindle users as well.

The problem is the increased demand without a concomitant increase in supply.

There are over 4,000 'available ebooks' in my library system. True, many of them are along the lines of 'Kitchens and Bathrooms for Dummies', but there are also a lot of books that aren't popular but are perfectly decent literature.

The only thing I have to really complain about is how poorly organized it all is. It's like a library without shelves, where everything is stacked on the floor.

I haven't really noticed a difference in wait times since Kindle library lending went live (and I really thought I would).

eP

On your library's Overdrive webpage, click "advanced search." There you can select which genre books are available now. The choices are very subject specific.

On the plus side, having limited access has exposed me to titles that I wouldn't have read otherwise...

Me too. I wonder why....hmmmm.

I haven't either. I read mostly SF & F, and the popular books have waiting lists, same as allways. I can't say that they're any longer than before. Maybe it's worse if you read a lot of popular non-genre ficiton.

I can log in to 5 different Overdrive libraries.

At two of them, there's been a slight increase in book buying and so far, the waits have been consistent with 'before'.

At one of them, there's been a huge increase in book buying and the waits have increased.

At one of them, there's an increase in the number of books bought for each title (so they seem to be buying the same number of unique books, but more copies of them), and wait times have decreased pretty significantly.

And the last one - CLEVNET - has always bought lots and had "comfortable" wait times. And it's the only one that seems to have an unlimited wait list. So I can sign up for lots of books with various wait times - for the ones I KNOW I want to read - and I can experiment with what's available now for what I'm willing to try out.

You too? ;)

For my overdrive library, there's a link to browse ebooks, music or videos by genre. I click on the ebooks, then a genre that interests me, then click on "complete list" then select the check box to show only available titles.

I've found no difference in the number of books currently available since kindle book lending went live. However, I think that the number of people on the waiting lists as well as number of library copies/book has gone up. I wouldn't swear by it though.

My strategy is that every few weeks I do an advanced search to check the most recently added books. Sometimes you can get in line for books in advance of the release date. Otherwise, I find books I want and add them to my wishlist. By keeping a long wishlist, I don't forget the books that I was interested in, and there is always something immediately available. I have more books on my wishlist than I could read in a year.

Wait lists at my library have grown significantly this year compared to last year. I wouldn't say there's been a specific increase because of the Kindle. On the other hand, my library has added a significant amount of books and now have more copies of popular items. They also reduced the maximum borrowing limit to 2 weeks and the number of days to redeem a hold to 2 days. Therefore the actual wait time isn't much different.

I had thought the wait lists increased more after last Christmas when folks got Nooks and Kobos as gifts, more than when Kindle came on the scene?