Library ebooks and Kindle

[soulfuldog]

I've just bought a Kindle and although I plan to buy books from Amazon, a good portion of my reading is likely to be ebooks from the library. These seem to be mainly Adobe Epub format (which I believe I can convert and read on the Kindle easily enough by using Calibre).

I will be using the wireless connectivity for books I get from Amazon, and I've read a little about logs the Kindle sends back to Amazon. I've no real concern about that, but I am wondering if there is likely to be any issue with information about the library ebooks being collected by Amazon - because as I understand it, DRM might be removed from them when converting with Calibre (or am I wrong about that?).

Also, another unrelated query. I've just bought one Kindle at the moment but I can't see our current "we'll share it" plan working for long, so will soon have two in the household. Is it easy enough to share books bought on Amazon between the two Kindles?

[Ron.]

amazon is supposed to support library books this fall, no one knows for sure exactly what this means (epub or mobi) just have to wait and see. If both kindles are registered to the same account then sharing books between them is very easy.

[GoSharks]

Originally Posted by l_macd

I've no real concern about that, but I am wondering if there is likely to be any issue with information about the library ebooks being collected by Amazon - because as I understand it, DRM might be removed from them when converting with Calibre (or am I wrong about that?).

DRM will need to be removed from library books when importing into Calibre for converting formats. You will need to Google Apprentice Alf's Blog to find the necessary 'tools' and instructions. It is very easy to do..... and hopefully will be unnecessary soon. Welcome!

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by I_macd

I will be using the wireless connectivity for books I get from Amazon, and I've read a little about logs the Kindle sends back to Amazon. I've no real concern about that, but I am wondering if there is likely to be any issue with information about the library ebooks being collected by Amazon

No one will argue that a myriad of details (location, drm status, time, etc..) doesn't get logged to a file on the Kindle itself (nor will they argue its ability to communicate that logfile to Amazon if it wanted to) ... BUT! ... no one, to date, has ever caught a Kindle actually sending any of that data back to Amazon yet. And many have tried.

- because as I understand it, DRM might be removed from them when converting with Calibre (or am I wrong about that?)

Calibre itself has absolutely nothing to do with DRM removal. In fact, if the ebooks in question have DRM, calibre won't be able to convert them for you. Period.

There are, however, third-party (unsupported by calibre developers) plugins that will remove DRM from books as they are being imported into calibre's library.

I believe the distinction is rather important.

[susan_cassidy]

I did once talk to Kindle support, and they talked about looking at a log file on my Kindle, so it is certainly possible for them to see logged information, which I would expect. No point in logging it, otherwise.

[soulfuldog]

Sorry, I should have made it clear that I knew it was Calibre (+ plugins) that is required for DRM (just wasn't clear whether the library books would have DRM or not). Being able to read library ebooks is the only reason I've finally taken the plunge to buy a Kindle, so eventual official support will be ideal (though I'm in the UK so wouldn't be at all surprised to see it happening a lot later here than in North America).

Regards sharing books, I hadn't actually thought of registering them both to the same Amazon account, I guess that would be the easiest way to do it though. So thanks!

[AndyfromVA]

Back in April 2011 I heard that Amazon was working on getting library book compatibility for Kindle but I've heard nothing at all since.

At this point I'm starting to wonder if this is vaporware.

[Leep]

A librarian from one of the public libraries has confirmed that they are now allowed to tell users that they will be able to read library books on their Kindles by the end of September

cheers

[abookreader]

Originally Posted by AndyfromVA

Back in April 2011 I heard that Amazon was working on getting library book compatibility for Kindle but I've heard nothing at all since.

At this point I'm starting to wonder if this is vaporware.

If you read the announcement it says "By the end of the year."

Last year when Amazon made an announcement (the one about being able to loan your Kindle books to other Kindle users) it was also "by the end of the year" and it was literally the end of December when it went active.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by l_macd

Being able to read library ebooks is the only reason I've finally taken the plunge to buy a Kindle, so eventual official support will be ideal

This is an exceedingly odd decision to make, if you'll forgive me for saying so. The Kindle is pretty much the only reader on the market which CAN'T read library books directly. Would it not make more sense to buy one of the numerous ADE-based readers and be able to read them normally?

[soulfuldog]

That's a pretty good point HarryT, and probably seems a bit of bizarre logic. However, there were three main factors in buying the Kindle. In order of importance.

Price. I wouldn't pay over £100 for an ebook reader. I've just paid £68 for a refurbished Kindle, nothing else can match that, can it? (In addition, after-sales support, which Amazon tends to be pretty good at.)

Buying books. I only ever buy books online from Amazon, I guess buying ebooks is slightly different, but as much for convenience than anything else, there's no real reason to change.

Calibre. The fact that Calibre looks as if it makes converting formats for use on the Kindle so easy means it's not really much of an issue.

[pdagenius]

Originally Posted by l_macd

That's a pretty good point HarryT, and probably seems a bit of bizarre logic. However, there were three main factors in buying the Kindle. In order of importance.

Price. I wouldn't pay over £100 for an ebook reader. I've just paid £68 for a refurbished Kindle, nothing else can match that, can it? (In addition, after-sales support, which Amazon tends to be pretty good at.)

Buying books. I only ever buy books online from Amazon, I guess buying ebooks is slightly different, but as much for convenience than anything else, there's no real reason to change.

Calibre. The fact that Calibre looks as if it makes converting formats for use on the Kindle so easy means it's not really much of an issue.

Calibre worked on a book from my library to tx to the Kindle.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by HarryT

This is an exceedingly odd decision to make, if you'll forgive me for saying so. The Kindle is pretty much the only reader on the market which CAN'T read library books directly. Would it not make more sense to buy one of the numerous ADE-based readers and be able to read them normally?

Agreed. I won a Kindle 3 and am saddened at the crazy process I would have to go through to borrow a library book to read. I'll just have to scour deals and read old books for the time being. I'm starting to think about selling it or getting a second reader just for the library. I'll believe Kindle borrowing from my library when I actually use it.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Agreed. I won a Kindle 3 and am saddened at the crazy process I would have to go through to borrow a library book to read.

Once I decided that I'd be using Calibre to maintain my eBook library, the process became exactly the same process that it would be for getting any ADE book from any non-integrated store on to just about any reader. A little easier than most other readers, actually, thanks to the email feature.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Leep

A librarian from one of the public libraries has confirmed that they are now allowed to tell users that they will be able to read library books on their Kindles by the end of September

cheers

But not in the UK, and hence of no use to the OP.