There are often books I want to read that aren’t carried by my library. In some cases, I know these aren’t books that I’m going to want to have on my Kindle because I’ll reread it often. Is there a way for my to purchase the book in the library’s name, using my funds, then I can check it out and so can anyone else?
StG
It’s my understanding that you, an individual, purchasing an ebook is you, an individual, purchasing a single license for that material. For a library to purchase an ebook for public lending requires a different, more expensive type of license, the exact terms of which vary by publisher.
It’s a bit of an ongoing controversy among libraries, publishers, and authors, but it’s getting worked out, slowly.
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Basically, it’s treated like software.
I know that at my library, the don’t check out e-books to more than one person at a time, unless they have more than one copy. So it seems like it would be the same thing, but I can understand if it isn’t.
Is there any other way to check out e-books from other libraries? I know the Amazon Prime allows check out of some books, but it’s never the book I want when I want it.
StG
It’s not quite the same, but if your library uses Overdrive, you can shop Amazon (or a few other booksellers) using the “Overdrive WIN Affiliate Program,” and a portion of the proceeds will be added as a credit for the library to purchase more books. I found the link on my library’s Overdrive page, so it may be somewhere on there for you.
My library gets its ebooks through some kind of subscription services. If the serve can offer the book, then my library can offer the book. There is thus no way to donate ebooks to my library.
Often times, even if you donate the PRINT version of the book to the library, they won’t be able to add it to their collection. They’ll go in the book sale, be donated along the food chain (to senior centers or prisons), or be thrown away.
If a book is not already in the system, it’s prohibitively expensive to purchase the catalog record for it. If it’s a glurgey book only one or two people will read, it’s not worth the cost. I imagine this carries over to Overdrive buying too, given the licensing. Libraries only want books lots of people will read. Bestsellers, cookbooks, classics.
If the book is super-amazing, it’ll get to the library all on its own. If you want to help it along, the best way is to donate money to your local Friends of the Library, or earmark for Acquisitions (depending on the system), and then fill out a “Suggest to Purchase” form (usually online) so they know there’s interest in the book from taxpayers.
Catalog records need to be purchased? I don’t really understand that. I’ve always thought that donating books to the library increased their stacks, but I do see the books show up in the book sales. I just thought they didn’t have enough shelf space. I didn’t realize it would cost them money to keep the books.
My understanding is that e-books purchased by libraries have limited read rights and can only be checked out a limited number of times before the rights expire. I’m remembering fifty times, but that’s a guess.
I do know that often I have to reserve Overdrive books from the library if someone else has one checked out and I can only keep it on my device for three weeks. Just like a paper book.
Libraries don’t use Amazon ebooks but some other DRM system. They don’t work very well with Kindles, either.
And yeah, publishers put a ton of limitations of library ebooks to limit the amount of damage libraries can do to their sales. Basically only a certain number of people can read each copy at a time, and each copy only lasts so long to mimic the wear and tear on physical books.
But I’m sure they’d appreciate a donation of some other sort. A check, or maybe even an Amazon gift card?
Today Amazon launched a monthly subscription service called Kindle Unlimited for ebooks and audiobooks which might suit your needs, or you could look into Scribd or Oyster. The Amazon one lets you read on e-ink Kindles plus any Kindle app and the others only work with an app on tablets or phones.
Kindle Unlimited has a 30 day free trial and they are offering a 3 month free membership to Audible as well, which is a phenomenal deal.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing this. Stuff like this is why I went with Amazon over B&N and all the other readers. Only they have the muscle to strongarm publishers into such deals. Sucks for them and small bookstores, but great for readers.
I do support my library by being a friend of the library, going to the monthly book sales, and in the fines I occasionally generate (plus taxes, of course). My point about buying specific books in their name is, those are the books I want to read. I wanted to check out the new Jill Paton Walsh Lord Peter Whimsey/Harriet Vane novel. The library did acquire one hard-backed copy, and I’m on the hold list. I was thinking if I could buy it on Amazon as a donation, it would be a win-win.
StG
My local library doesn’t do e-books at all – there is a state-wide lending system, and they do solicit for donations. So I suggest you contact the e-book library directly. Maybe you can buy the book for them, or maybe you can give them money to buy titles you specify – but I’d be really surprised if they don’t have a ready means available to do one or the other or both.
Except that Amazon doesn’t have any of the Big Five publishers on board for this new service. It’s a couple of recognizable titles but mostly filler. Oyster and Scribd at least have one or two big publishers signed to their service. This may turn into a juggernaut, but for now it’s a pretty bad deal, especially for Prime members.
They claim to have 600,000 titles available. If they aren’t from the big 5, where are they from?
Too late to edit, I assume this list of 600,000 includes all books available in the kindle store. Am I misunderstanding?
What are Oyster and Scribd?
Fir na tine - No, it’s not all the Kindle titles. For example, the title that I want to read right now! is called The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh. It’s a Kindle book, but isn’t a free book.
StG
I’d bet you are but it’s hard to say. Rather mind-bogglingly, it’s apparently not possible to sort by either title or author.