E-Book Lending

choi

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(1) Stu Woo, E-Book Lending Takes Off; New Online Clubs That Let Readers Share Have Drawbacks but Worry Publishers. Wall Street Journal, Mar 11, 2011.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703726904576192923709743108.html

Quote:

"The sites [online book clubs], some of which have gathered thousands of users, allow strangers to borrow and lend e-books for Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle and Barnes & Noble Inc.'s Nook free. * * * Public libraries can't lend e-books in the Kindle format, though they can for other e-reading devices.

"The lending sites have drawbacks. One is limited selection. Most major book publishers haven't made their e-books lendable, and the books can be lent only once and for only 14 days. That means that with every successful loan, the sites' available library shrinks unless new users with books to lend join.

My comment: There is no need to read more, for this one and the next..

(2) Julie Bosman, Library E-Books Live Longer, So Publisher Limits Shelf Life: A popular hardback will wear out. Not so the electronic version. New York Times, Mar 15, 2011 (title in the print).
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/business/media/15libraries.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=e-book%20library&st=cse

Quote:

"For years, public libraries building their e-book collections have typically done so with the agreement from publishers that once a library buys an e-book, it can lend it out, one reader at a time, an unlimited number of times.

"Last week, that agreement was upended by HarperCollins Publishers when it began enforcing new restrictions on its e-books, requiring that books be checked out only 26 times before they expire. Assuming a two-week checkout period, that is long enough for a book to last at least one year.

"HarperCollins, in its defense, pointed out that its policy for libraries was a decade old, made long before e-books were as popular as they are today. The new policy applies to newly acquired books.

"It is still a surprise to many consumers that e-books are available in libraries at all.

(3) Samantha Rollins, Taiwan Airport Opens World's First In-Transit E-Library. Time, Mar 11, 2011.
http://techland.time.com/2011/03/11/taiwan-airport-opens-worlds-first-in-transit-e-library/
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