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Originally Posted by kaireece
What is the process for getting a library book (is this called ePub format?) onto a kindle? Is it difficult? Possible? What would the drawbacks be?
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You've got two options for library books on the Kindle.
For Mobipocket format books, which the Kindle would read natively if it weren't for Amazon not supporting the original DRM of the file format they bought and paid for, you can read them after using two computer scripts that give you
a) a valid Mobipocket PID for the Overdrive servers to generate a properly encoded book file
b) which the second script then "fixes" so that the Kindle recognizes it as a readable file
This does not break the DRM, not that that's currently a concern in Canada, unless our Heritage Minister gets his way with his corporate-pandering copy-protection bill (C-32, if you want to write your MP to vote against it).
However, Mobipocket is rapidly becoming a minority format in most library systems (I think I might have read somewhere that either Overdrive is not renewing the licenses, or Amazon is not allowing the licenses to be renewed).
For ePub and PDF formats, you'll have to strip the DRM and convert at least the ePubs to Mobipocket format before you can read them on the Kindle. It's not hard, but it helps if you're comfortable doing computer stuff.
I suggest checking your library's ebook catalogue to make sure it's got a decent selection, and if you live near the border, see if there's a reciprocal lending agreement in place between your regional district and the neighbouring state's county library systems.
In theory, I could get access to both BC and Washington's province/state-wide ebook catalogues on the strength of my FVRL card, provided I crossed the border and filled out some paperwork at one of the Whatcom branches.
For heavy library use, I think I might recommend the Sony, unless you're willing and able to do the hoop-jumping.
While Amazon does have the widest selection of books available currently, it also currently charges an extra $2 Whispernet fee to Canadians on non-freebie purchases (only skipped on those $0.00 promotional or public domain titles), which the Sony and Kobo stores don't (usually the same price as the US customers pay, except in cases where different publishers sell the same book).
It is possible to get around that, but not without resorting to the same US address/IP proxy hoop-jumping that you'd use for a B&N account, and which one may not feel ethically comfortable with anyway.
Hope this helps.