Libraries Struggle to Stock Virtual Shelves (Washington Post article)

[teralpar]

...when I got home there were weird green spots and cigarette burns all throughout the pages. I guess I'm weird that I'd rather wait for the Kindle version and not have to deal with other people's cooties. I have enough to read that I consider any books I check out to be a bonus surprise when I get the email that one is ready for download. If I find out that I really can't wait, I guess I'll end up buying it instead but so for that hasn't happened. I understand that libraries are between a rock and a hard place and I really appreciate the sheer convenience of being able to check out and return books without leaving my couch.

I feel the same way. I'd rather wait for the ebook than checking out a physical copy. I recently borrowed a book about my city's history from the library. Had to get the dtb because it's not in ebook format. Its an old book, written in the 60's. It smells, the pages are yellowed and the font is too small. I haven't read a page and I've had it for almost two weeks. Normally if a book I want to read isn't available in ebook format through my library, I don't worry about it much, since I have 400+ books in my tbr list to read on my Kindle. If it's a must-have I usually end up buying it for Kindle thrum Amazon.

[Straker]

My local library has about 4,100 Kindle books and apparently about 4,050 are romance. I searched for every title on my Kindle wishlist (almost 100 books) and found exactly 6 fiction and 0 non-fiction. And these are not obscure or niche authors. I have a feeling that it's going to take awhile for librarians to figure out that their e-book patrons have different tastes than their existing patrons and to adjust their buying choices accordingly.

[tubemonkey]

I've been on the epub list for The Girl Who Played with Fire for months (L.A. Public Library). I've joined the Kindle list now, also.

Why are you on two waiting lists?

[Betsy the Quilter]

In my library system, and it appears Jan's, you have to specify the format you're on hold for at the time of placing the hold.  Although, on my system, you are not allowed to get on hold for both versions.

Betsy

[tubemonkey]

In my library system, and it appears Jan's, you have to specify the format you're on hold for at the time of placing the hold.  Although, on my system, you are not allowed to get on hold for both versions.

Betsy

I have to specify at my libraries also. Just curious as to why on both lists since most libraries no longer buy specific formats. If a library has 5 copies of a book and 5 Kindle books are checked out, there are no epub books available until some of the Kindle books are returned.

[Esmeowl12]

I was so excited to learn that I could borrow Kindle books from my library - until I encountered the problem everyone seems to be having. I hate having to wait several weeks to get a book I'm eager to read. That's hard when you're on a budget.

[GBear]

I haven't tried library books on my Kindle. Every book that I had any interest in either had a long waiting list or it said there were 0 copies available. Why even have it come up on the list if there aren't any copies available? The Overdrive interface is more clumsy than searching for paper books.

I hesitate to defend the clunky Overdrive interface, but the one I access does have an option to only show books that are available for checkout. You can't do anything like only show books with <5 on the waitlist, though.

[jbcohen]

Why are you on two waiting lists?

You all are going to laugh at this one.  My home county library (Montgomery County, MD) you frequently need to wait a week to get on the waiting list.  Think of this one - you need to put your name on a waiting list to get on the waiting list.  The library's have taken the concept of a waiting list to a whole new level. or  depending on your opinion.  That is of course if you can find something you want to read which is very rare - Montgomery County library's motto should be - what ever you want we don't have, what ever you don't want we have.  I am venting here  .

[jackz4000]

I used to visit my local library every two weeks or so and then late this spring I discovered ebooks and that ended my usual library trips. A couple weeks ago I checked online to see what they had for ebooks since I knew they were in Overdrive. I was saddened to see they had a total of 1000 titles and usually 1 copy of each title and people ahead of you could be 3-30 waiting for the ebook. Even worse is that they belong to a group of 200 other towns and their offerings were similiar.

They also had a NYT article posted and said many publishers were withholding ebooks. Won't be using my library much, if at all.

[GBear]

The library works great for me. I do have to do a little juggling when lots of books on hold come available at once. (It's possible to check out and download more than the maximum if you keep Whispernet turned off, for example, although I've only resorted to that once; but I more frequently keep a book longer than the alloted two weeks.) You do have to wait, but for my NH location it's not awful. I've read about 20 library books in the last three months, and haven't made a single purchase.

Still, the whole experience has me wondering about the role of government in paying for ebooks for me to read. Sure, they've built and stocked libraries with paper books all my life, and going back to when books were rare things that very few people could afford to own themselves. And the libraries themselves have and and continue to have some functions as community centers, although the internet has severely limited their value as research centers. But my underlying guilt about taxpayers funding my e-reading habit is making me wonder if libraries in general should, or will, survive?

The extreme example is if the Library of Congress set up ebook lending, with an unlimited number of copies of every book available for free and instant access by anyone in the country. (Google appears to be trying this, but they've got some profit motives behind it.) Sounds great on the surface to me, but it could put lots of entities - local libraries or bookstores, publishers, Amazon, even authors - right out of business.

I'm sure you librarians have been debating this for years. What's the future going to look like?

[mooshie78]

Libraries still need to exist to give poor people access to information.

Doesn't matter if it's a paperbook or an e-book.  Some people are very poor and have no money to spend on leisure items like books, and libraries are a way to make sure even the poorest in society can have access to literature and information and some other arts like music and movies as well.

Even for those with the means to buy books, their tax dollars are funding the library, so they have every right to also make use of it.  I don't use the library much personally as I hate due dates etc., and like supporting authors I enjoy by buying their books.  But it's a nice option to have if a book I want to read is overpriced or not available on Kindle (hate buying paper books since I seldom re-read).

[luvshihtzu]

I have found out that my Pima County Overdrive Library posts the newest eBooks that have been ordered on the last week of the month.  They have a special listing where you can see what is pre-ordered and it shows you the date it will be released.  I go through it each month and get on the hold list for titles that I am interested in.  My only glitch is that each person at my Overdrive can have only 5 holds at once.  Usually, I am in the first 3-4 borrowers on this list.  Other borrowers are now catching on to this method and getting their holds the same way.
I still use my old Sony readers with original firmware that allows me to change the date on the device so the book doesn't return to the library when my two weeks is up. (The Kindles will do the same as long as you don't turn on your WiFi or 3G until your books are finished)   The Overdrive eBook will go to the next person in line and I keep my ePub copy on my reader just long enough to read it. 
Someone mentioned having a hold for 4 days to actually do the checkout.  We have only two days to claim our Overdrive books, only five books out at a time and up to 5 holds.  It is very limited.  It is the main reason I also have a membership with Free Library of Philadelphia.