[Publib] RE: Kindle Issue

[Janet Cavanagh]

I wonder if anybody knows what Amazon/Kindle is thinking about with regard
to the public library market.  I can't believe they don't have at least one
little gnome somewhere pondering this. At the same time, is there any
research from the library community on integrating e-books in general into
public libraries?




On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 9:51 PM, Theyer, Hillary <HTheyer at torrnet.com>wrote:

> I LOVE my Kindle!  Just to get that out of the way.
>
> but, I see very limited use circulating in a public library. For a couple
> of reasons.  One of the reasons I love my kindle is to personalize what I
> read - I can highlight passages, clip pages, leave bookmarks through the
> book, add notes, etc.  But that is for me.  Someone else who gets the Kindle
> next may simply think I messed up the book.  You can undo what you did, but
> I don't think you can do it easily, you have to go find everything and undo
> it.  Does someone want to read a novel after I've highlighted it and added
> notes?
>
> A second reason is that I have it loaded with the wide variety of stuff I
> may want to read, but its a personal collection.  My favorites Michael
> Connelly novels (but not all of them), Outlander (with bookmarks to find my
> favorite sections), plus a couple of childhood favorites, what I've bought
> and read and may never read again, and what I am going to read.  The appeal
> is that I have this collection with me at all times, so if my mood changes I
> can just start reading something else.  My collection won't necessarily suit
> anyone else.  A Kindle loaded with all the newest mysteries may appeal, but
> not necessarily.
>
> A third reason is disabling purchasing.  Other than breaking or disabling
> the antenna that lets it connect to the network, I don't know how you would
> do that, and you can purchase from anywhere, instantly.  That's the appeal -
> I'm stuck in an airport, or a meeting, and I feel like reading today's
> NYTimes - done.  There isn't even an "are you sure?" double check.  The
> charge just appears on the credit card.  Who pays if I decide to buy a bunch
> of stuff for the library's Kindle?
>
> But here are a couple of ways I do see the kindle being useful to loan.  As
> an adaptive device, both for the larger print, the built in dictionary, and
> the new one that reads aloud the text to you.  That could be the only way
> someone can enjoy a piece of literature.  I love enlarging the print to the
> point I can read while eating and not get food on it, but also I can read
> when I'm tired or when I left my glasses in the other room.  But, the Kindle
> isn't easy to navigate if you need those adaptations to read - managing the
> menu, the scroll bar, etc is still there.
>
> I also see it being useful for a long term set of reading, like if you were
> doing a great books series each participant could get a Kindle loaded with
> all the books in the series (classics tend to be really cheap, like 99
> cents), the syllabus and schedule and discussion questions for each (since
> you can load any word document on there), and a page for notes.  Then over
> the course of months, each person could read their books, making notes and
> highlighting them, using the dictionary, following the schedule, taking
> notes, etc.  It is easy to lead or participate in a book discussion by
> scrolling through the notes you took in a book as you read.
>
> I would seriously consider the loss of the Kindle. Those things are
> expensive.  Would you bill for full replacement of the device?  That would
> be a lot.
>
> As I LOVE my Kindle I've been thinking about this.  We aren't thinking
> about it at work yet (not that I know of).
>
> Hillary Theyer
> Torrance PL (CA)
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 19
> Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:47:30 -0600
> From: "Cesar Roel Garza" <crgarza at mcallen.net>
> Subject: [Publib] The Kindle Issue...What's Your View?
> To: <publib at webjunction.org>
> Message-ID:
>        <F4FB9DACD12ACA41A43A616BD24A38E501C48264 at mail.mymcallen.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hello Colleagues,
>
> My library is currently exploring the possibility of acquiring a set of
> Amazon Kindles to loan to patrons, and I was wondering who among us has done
> that, is thinking about it, or has something to say about the whole Kindle
> issue.
>
> I'm aware that a library in New Jersey started loaning Kindles with success
> back in 2007, and that Amazon discourages the practice because of licensing
> issues and the like.
>
> The planning, execution and maintenance of this practice is, I gather,
> complicated, and it brings to the fore the larger issue of impact on certain
> facets of the library environment.
>
> I'm sure Kindle has been addressed before on this listserv, but I'd be
> grateful for your thoughts and insights.
>
> ___Cesar_Garza____________________________________________
>
>
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>


-- 
Janet Cavanagh
Head, Circulation Services
Russell Library
Middletown, CT
860-347-2528
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