OverDrive sold to private equity firm KKR

[issybird]

Originally Posted by stumped

I was frankly amazed when I asked a librarian if overdrive kept my borrowing history and was told they just throw it away

My Overdrive libraries retain my borrowing history. It's in the drop-down menu under My Account. Moreover, you can tweak it by manually adding and deleting titles.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by stumped

as for city vs rural, isn't e-lending all about the" death of distance "
or is this theory outdated?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Dista.../dp/158799089X

You are probably right. It should average out.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

A B&M outlet is not necessary for ebooks. The possible danger of centralizing and nationalizing to a single library system is the wait lists. A higher populated area (e.g. a major city) will have disproportionate better and faster access than any rural area. Sounds like a bad idea.

Not all countries are as big as the US.
For example, Amazon (and others) had one day delivery in place ages ago.
There are 11 states tbat are each bigger than the entire UK. Plus, a lot of countries are more heavily urbanized than the US. With good roads and trains and efficient warehouses moving a physical package anywhere overnight is almost trivial in many countries. Pretty much the same for digital stuff.

Essentially, a national library system in many countries is as "hard" as a statewide system in the US. It's a market Overdrive could easily tap into...
...except...
...many of the potential customers have single-digit ebook market penetration and deep hostility to US tech companies. A lot of soil needs to be tilled, often with tbe opposition of local publishers and retailers.

I believe Overdrive does have a presence outside the US but nowhere as big as possible. It'll take time.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by issybird

My Overdrive libraries retain my borrowing history. It's in the drop-down menu under My Account. Moreover, you can tweak it by manually adding and deleting titles.

maybe its changed since I asked - it was a while ago. but at that time, the only way to get stuff remembered was to rate titles

[ i just tried logging in to overdrive.com on this PC as I can still do that- but I could not find any lending history, just ticks I'd placed against genres I like and my (now defunct) library card info , (as my library has left overdrive), and my last used android device. So it seems to know me, but not what 'Ive been reading ?
FWIW. the awful Rbdigital app, When its' not busy randomly crashing out, does seem to have a history tab, though its early days with that

seems to me that lending history, in the right smart marketing hands, could be well used. ( with an opt out for the paranoid / those with taste for anarchist/bomb making manuals... of course )

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by haertig

I don't think the current pricing model would work for a national library. Where you have a limited number of copies, bought at very high prices compared to an individual purchaser. What might work is an "immediately to public domain" model. You write a book, accept a one-time upfront payment, which would need to be rather significant, and then your book is out there forever. For anybody, anywhere, for free. Therefore no wait lists. No return dates. There would also have to be some kind of vetting process so scammers wouldn't dump garbage books in there. I would pay a subscription into a national library that worked on a model like that. Subscriptions would pay for acquiring the books. Totally unworkable I'm sure, but I can dream can't I?!

Well, some countries (Norway comes to mind) pay writers a fee but with qualifications.
But "garbage books" wouldn't be much of an issue for ebooks. Just tie tbe payment to full read checkouts, much like Kindle Unlimited. No need for gatekeepers deciding for the public what tbey should or shouldn't read: just let readers choose and pay or not based on that. Works fine for KU and by now they have about as many subscribers as many small coubtries might muster.

It would not be hard, technically anyway, for a country to demand compulsory licensing of a handful of simultaneous checkouts at a reasonable price for a national ebook library.
Politically? No idea.

Thing is, public libraries aren't universally supported and even where tbey exist, their focus is limited. Publishers are usually more powerful than whatever pro-library lobby might exist.
Not

[ZodWallop]

Some things I don't understand in this whole conversation:

1. Why is it assumed that just because Overdrive was purchased, it will be going away? KKR doesn't seem to be selling its own line of devices, so it seems like it is in their best interest to get Overdrive in the hands of as many users as possible. If anything, I would think Overdrive would become easier to access or at the least remain status quo.
   
2. If Overdrive does go away, why assume that the hapless ereader sellers will just throw up their hands and not adopt some other way to access libraries? Not all device makers are as incompetent as B&N.

[stumped]

1. Because they now own 2 sets of e lending. Overdrive and rbdigital. It makes no sense to keep both brands
2. If you have the misfortune to have to use rbdigital, you will see how good Libby and overdrive were in hindsight.
3 overdrive had got themselves into a bit of a branding mess and of technical confusion with multiple ways to access: checkout with overdrive account, library card., Read online in browser. Libby looked like a good way forward which hid all the messy and confusing Adobe ID stuff under the bonnet. The direct from overdrive to kobo route also did away with the need to know or care about Adobe...

If kkr tell kobo that fees for overdrive integration,/licensing are going up, will kobo keep it or drop it

There is still much scope for simplification.
Until recently you had to go get a library card pin, go to adobe and create an Adobe ID, install a suitable version of Adobe digital editions to pc (with much confusion as old versions stopped working and newest versions were not always compatible) , then browse library, checkout books into ADE, learn how to get copies from there onto devices or into readers you liked.... Not something your grannie could use...
But buy her a kobo, point it at her local library..? That was becoming much simpler

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by stumped

1. Because they now own 2 sets of e lending. Overdrive and rbdigital. It makes no sense to keep both brands

So KKR own rbdigital and Overdrive. Why assume Overdrive is going away?

If you own two cars, one fairly nice and one a rust heap and you decide you only need one car, would you dump the nice car?

3 overdrive had got themselves into a bit of a branding mess and of technical confusion with multiple ways to access: checkout with overdrive account, library card., Read online in browser. Libby looked like a good way forward which hid all the messy and confusing Adobe ID stuff under the bonnet. The direct from overdrive to kobo route also did away with the need to know or care about Adobe...

None of that seems to have anything to do with Overdrive being purchased.

It seems just as valid based on what evidence is available that the new owners would continue on the improvements.

If kkr tell kobo that fees for overdrive integration,/licensing are going up, will kobo keep it or drop it

That of course would be Kobo's call. But again: would Kobo think it is a good idea to completely drop the ability to check out library books from their devices?

And then there's Amazon. Do you think they would drop Overdrive from Kindles without some sort of back-up plan?

look, I could be wrong. But honestly, there just isn't enough info to draw real conclusions. And six pages of angst about the death of Overdrive based on not much just seems silly.

[stumped]

I agree we are having to speculate without a lot of hard facts.
I am pessimistic. I looked through KKR website, principles, values etc. Lots about making money, nothing at all about being on a mission to increase literacy.. but I could say the same about publishers..

More here though:
https://goodereader.com/blog/digital...ary-juggernaut

That report links to this one, also relevant
https://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-...blic-libraries

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by stumped

i think the main problem is libraries needing lots and lots of copies, short-term, to satisfy demands for "best sellers"...
and lazy people like me exacerbate things by going directly to the " most popular" or "bestseller" library e-shelves and placing holds on anything that looks tasty

I've seen other people post on MobileRead that they put on hold anything that might look OK. I wonder if this is the reason my library allows only 6 holds - I have to be choosy. I use the wishlist for the anything-I-might-be-interested-in-someday books.

Originally Posted by issybird

My Overdrive libraries retain my borrowing history. It's in the drop-down menu under My Account. Moreover, you can tweak it by manually adding and deleting titles.

Mine also has a history list.

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

But honestly, there just isn't enough info to draw real conclusions. And six pages of angst about the death of Overdrive based on not much just seems silly.

But it's a time-honored MobileRead tradition that when any new bookstore, ereader, or anything to do with ebooks is announced we have to have a multi-page thread of speculation!

[shalym]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I've seen other people post on MobileRead that they put on hold anything that might look OK. I wonder if this is the reason my library allows only 6 holds - I have to be choosy. I use the wishlist for the anything-I-might-be-interested-in-someday books.

Mine also has a history list.

But it's a time-honored MobileRead tradition that when any new bookstore, ereader, or anything to do with ebooks is announced we have to have a multi-page thread of speculation!

Isn't that one of the things that forums are for?

Shari

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

But it's a time-honored MobileRead tradition that when any new bookstore, ereader, or anything to do with ebooks is announced we have to have a multi-page thread of speculation!

Originally Posted by shalym

Isn't that one of the things that forums are for?

I thought they were to argue about public domain and what the best way to calculate page count is.

No, but really, I do get that. But when someone talks about it being the death-knell for his Kindle based on absolutely nothing, I feel like someone has to bring things back to reality, at least a little.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

No, but really, I do get that. But when someone talks about it being the death-knell for his Kindle based on absolutely nothing, I feel like someone has to bring things back to reality, at least a little.

True. In the US Overdrive is the only library checkout that works with eink Kindle (as far as I am aware). It would be a shame if that goes away. In the very unlikely event of OD disappearing, I do hope something else will fill the void.

Personally I very seldom borrow from the library, but when I do, I truly appreciate the ease from email on phone, to open Libby, opening link to Amazon, and then switch to my Kindle to sync. Adobe should allow that for devices that are capable of connecting to the internet themselves.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by stumped

Until recently you had to go get a library card pin, go to adobe and create an Adobe ID, install a suitable version of Adobe digital editions to pc (with much confusion as old versions stopped working and newest versions were not always compatible) , then browse library, checkout books into ADE, learn how to get copies from there onto devices or into readers you liked.... Not something your grannie could use...
But buy her a kobo, point it at her local library..? That was becoming much simpler

As someone who is well and truly old enough to be a grannie multiple times over, and who founded her school computer club, and who was online messaging before the WWW existed, I'd thank you not to use older women as the quintessential example of people who couldn't possibly know anything about using tech. Thanks.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by stumped

There is still much scope for simplification.
Until recently you had to go get a library card pin, go to adobe and create an Adobe ID, install a suitable version of Adobe digital editions to pc (with much confusion as old versions stopped working and newest versions were not always compatible) , then browse library, checkout books into ADE, learn how to get copies from there onto devices or into readers you liked.... Not something your grannie could use...
But buy her a kobo, point it at her local library..? That was becoming much simpler

Out of curiosity, why did you pick grannie instead of grandpa? Or was this simply ageism rearing it's ugly head?

My mother-in-law is about to celebrate her 90th birthday. She is able to use ADE to checkout library books and transfer them to her Kobo, is very active in several on-line groups, etc. Quite a few of her friends are equally at home using technology though they tend to prefer large screen monitors--those old eyes aren't what they used to be.