Amazon Kindle library lending starts up in beta
updated 12:10 pm EDT, Tue September 20, 2011
OverDrive, Amazon partner to lend e-books
Amazon has taken another step toward establishing the Kindle Lending Library. Announced in April, the system appears to have moved to beta testing at the Seattle Public Library and King County Public Library in Washington. The service is provided by OverDrive, which has agreements to manage ebook lending with 11,000 libraries in the US.
Neither Amazon nor OverDrive have announced the service, but the Kindle support page has instructions for downloading library books. Libraries with Kindle support hand off the checkout process to Amazon to finish.
Direct downloads are possible for Kindles with Wi-Fi. Other models use the usual procedure to download ebooks to a PC and transfer with a USB cable. Loans for the Kindle will require a valid library card and an Amazon account.
Loaned materials can be read on any registered Kindle device or app. According to OverDrive, the new service will be supported on all three generations of the Kindle.
Amazon says that notes and highlights made for library materials will still be available after the loan expires through the Kindle website, if the loan is renewed, or if the user buys the book. [via The Digital Reader]
