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What’s New (and Old) at Amazon

Submitted by Christopher Harris on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 13:16

From the debut of library lending to the release of its first tablet, the Kindle Fire, Amazon has been making headlines in the ebook world recently. Now it is back in the spotlight with a new kerfuffle over exclusive content deals.

Kindle lending on OverDrive was supposed to be the answer for many of the woes libraries face regarding lending ebooks. Was this a sign that Amazon was finally going to embrace EPUB like the rest of the ebook world? Was OverDrive going to become a more open and easily accessed platform? Maybe not so much.

It isn’t all bad. Even though ebooks are being lent using the proprietary Amazon .amz file type (a holdover from Amazon’s acquisition of Mobipocket many years ago), libraries don’t have to actually purchase the book from OverDrive in the new format. Instead, any books your library owns in OverDrive that are also available as Kindle books from Amazon will be connected and available for loaning via the Kindle. This is a great concept, but the execution of the idea is a bit confusing right now. Patrons who want to read library books on their Kindle end up going through a two-step process. They have to borrow the book from OverDrive and then go to a separate site (Amazon) to download the book and activate it for their Kindle.

While OverDrive and Amazon have made some progress, there are certainly many questions remaining. Bobbi Newman, writing at Librarian By Day, doesn’t pull any punches in saying that libraries got “screwed” by this deal. Though I agree with Newman, I also can’t help but wonder if OverDrive was playing outside its league when it tried to deal with Amazon. Gary Price from InfoDocket raises some alarming questions about privacy under the OverDrive/Amazon model. Lots of data in lots of places … and the library controls none of it.

All of these questions take on new importance, however, with the latest news that Amazon and Barnes & Noble are in a bit of a tiff over Amazon signing exclusive distribution deals for DC Comics. As the tech blog Engadget reported, B&N pulled print copies of some DC comics and graphic novels from shelves in response to the four-month exclusive deal Amazon signed for electronic editions.

So we have to ask—can we really remain excited and supportive of Kindle lending in libraries when Amazon is also restricting access to electronic content through exclusive deals like this, which lock books into a single, proprietary file format that can only be read through a single company’s product line? Is this the bleak future for ebook lending in libraries, with our profession and institutions constantly being trapped between competing business interests? I hope not, but Amazon’s locking down content and continuing to embrace its closed file format makes me a bit concerned.

Comments

Universal file formats are the future

I highly doubt that books of the future will be confined to one device or format. Content, whether it be a book or movie or song will work on any device.

Why am I sure of this? Because the publishing industry is heading the same direction as the music industry. I can listen to my music on my mp3 player, my computer, my phone, over my home stereo… etc. For the next few years we’ll watch the publishing industry resolve this.

Very Best,
Filip
Company Culture Blogger

Submitted by Filip Matous (not verified) on Mon, 01/02/2012 - 17:34.

Amazon/OverDrive/Library Deal

Have you considered the long-term effect of the Amazon/OverDrive/Library deal on library viability? In effect, libraries are turning their customer base over to Amazon and allowing Amazon to market directly to library patrons. A logical next step would be for Amazon to offer library-lending services to cities and counties on a direct basis, managed by OverDrive, and operated without the need for professional librarians or even library buildings. With the cost of Kindles dropping, Amazon could ship them directly to library card holders who didn’t already have them, thus greatly reducing the need for library services. This would allow cities and counties to reduce their payrolls and other library-related costs while appearing to provide up-to-date services to residents. None of us in library land believe that librarians can be replaced by OverDrive and Amazon, but our view may be different than the view of city councils and county commissions.

Aside from the devastating effect the Amazon/OverDrive/Library deal will have on bookstores and on Amazon’s competitors, it may well have a negative impact on libraries over time. I’m obviously not enthusiastic about this development at all.

Submitted by Peyton Stafford (not verified) on Thu, 10/13/2011 - 12:20.