Kindle and public lending libraries

[Katel]

Hi, I'm pretty keen on getting a Kindle but am hoping to borrow from public libraries with it as well as buying from Amazon . . I understand calibre is a format conversion program so am wondering if it works to convert these books to Kindle format ?
(I'm a newbie to the e-reader world so still finding out about it)

[meeera]

Hi - which country are you in? Public library lending on a Kindle is not supported everywhere.

[Katel]

Hi, I'm in Melbourne Australia and my 2 local libraries have ebooks. Also the Library of Philadelphia lends out to non-residents. But they don't support Kindle which is why I wondered if calibre would do the conversion ok?

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Katel

Hi, I'm in Melbourne Australia and my 2 local libraries have ebooks. Also the Library of Philadelphia lends out to non-residents. But they don't support Kindle which is why I wondered if calibre would do the conversion ok?

Those who know more will no doubt come along shortly, but I'm 99% sure you'll need to strip the library DRM before converting (and yes, Calibre will convert to .mobi after this.) This is probably against the library TOS and may or may not be against the law. If you'd like to strip DRM, people here can't give you instructions beyond "google Apprentice Alf".

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Katel

Hi, I'm in Melbourne Australia and my 2 local libraries have ebooks. Also the Library of Philadelphia lends out to non-residents. But they don't support Kindle which is why I wondered if calibre would do the conversion ok?

The Free Library of Philadelphia does support Kindle. No need to convert.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The Free Library of Philadelphia does support Kindle. No need to convert.

Yep, I was talking about the Australian libraries.

[CRussel]

I'm not in Australia, but Canada has the same issues with Library eBooks only being available as ePub. However, with the help of Apprentice Alf and Calibre, I routinely borrow books from my provincial library and read them on my Kindle.

[Katel]

So would I have to use Alf before I use Calibre? I read of how it's done but it seems very complicated, and I'm not very tecchie minded unfortunately. That's great that some libraries are now lending to Kindle but I have a feeling it's not in Australia.

[soulfuldog]

It's not too difficult, it can be a bit fiddly, but if you familiarise yourself with Calibre, then read carefully what Apprentice Alf says, it's not too hard.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Katel

So would I have to use Alf before I use Calibre? I read of how it's done but it seems very complicated, and I'm not very tecchie minded unfortunately. That's great that some libraries are now lending to Kindle but I have a feeling it's not in Australia.

Once you have Calibre up and working (the required first step for most people), the rest is easy. Read the ReadMe files with the tools. They cover what you need to know. But it is actually really simple.

[JSWolf]

It's easier to just go with an ADE/ePub capable reader given that you want to read library eBooks outside the USA.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by Katel

Also the Library of Philadelphia lends out to non-residents.

It is extremely unusual for US public libraries to allow out of area borrowing without an in-person patron visit. I don't have inside information, but I wouldn't count on this continuing.

Now, if you sometimes visit the US, that's different. The Brooklyn Public Library charges US$50 a year for a collection more than double the size of Philadelphia's. But you have to pay your $50 in person, every year. An even better collection is in Indianapolis, Indiana, at 65 in-person US dollars a year. It's too far even for me, so I'm guessing this won't work for you

The only advantage of Amazon I can see for you is the free 3G text-based internet on an old but still available Kindle Keyboard model. This is mostly for people who like to read lots of news when away from home, as I do. Otherwise, I would wait to find a good promotional price for an eInk reader that supports ePUB.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

The only advantage of Amazon I can see for

Amazon has a limit on how much data you can use via 3G (other then surfing Amazon) because of people hacking their 3G Kindles to allow tethering.

[Rebecca_06]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

It is extremely unusual for US public libraries to allow out of area borrowing without an in-person patron visit. I don't have inside information, but I wouldn't count on this continuing.

I know my local library recently had to limit ebook checkouts to city residents only due to a change in their provider's terms. In other words, even if you can get a library card at a library doesn't mean you're able to use that card for ebooks if you don't live in that city.

Originally Posted by Katel

So would I have to use Alf before I use Calibre? I read of how it's done but it seems very complicated, and I'm not very tecchie minded unfortunately. That's great that some libraries are now lending to Kindle but I have a feeling it's not in Australia.

Calibre does not remove DRM straight out of the box, you have to add plugins to do it. Stripping books you don't own (like library ones) is against the library's TOS when you sign up for a card, not to mention legally and morally questionable.

Katel, I'd strongly recommend going into your local library and talking to them before you start worrying about formats and stripping DRM. They're going to be able to give you specific answers to your questions. Even if your library doesn't support Kindles right now, they might be willing to invest in it if they know enough patrons want it.

[GoSharks]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Once you have Calibre up and working (the required first step for most people), the rest is easy. Read the ReadMe files with the tools. They cover what you need to know. But it is actually really simple.

VERY easy to do....do it once and forget!

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's easier to just go with an ADE/ePub capable reader given that you want to read library eBooks outside the USA.

Same song, 54th verse........