The birth of the Kindle Tablet and the death of the public library

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/97335-the-birth-of-the-kindle-tablet-and-the-death-of-the-public-library

by kennjason • 15 years ago

19 12 15 years ago

trebor2• 15 years ago

Just because I own an ebook reader doesn't mean that I don't visit my library. My budget will only take so many ebooks monthly—so, it's often cheaper to only buy what I really need and get the rest from the library.

I'm mildly disappointed that it'll be LCD just because I find eInk to be the coolest tech around.

shoota2• 15 years ago

Did you read the article? They're suggesting that Amazon will open its ebook library to Amazon Prime Accounts to check out books to read thus killing off the public library.

gks• 15 years ago

That was part of a rumor that was started as a result of hearing rumblings of library support for the Kindle.

There was another big thing that happened, 11,000 public libraries using Overdrive get to lend books to Kindle users now.

I think the above rumor, and the recent support of the Kindle with Overdrive enabled libraries are one and the same.

That said, I don't see Libraries disappearing anytime soon. If these are different rumors, then let's take the rumor that free lending of books via Amazon Prime. I read somewhere (it may be in that article) that it may be a back catalog of older books. Classics and things. Public Libraries using Overdrive have some selection of newer books that Amazon Prime would then not be lending users.

That means if you're interested in newer books, well, your only option is to purchase the book (digital or dead tree) or borrow it from the local library (digital or dead tree). Since Amazon wouldn't be lending newer releases.

trebor2• 15 years ago

Did you read the "my budget..." bit? I don't pay $80/year for Prime membership when I barely spend $80-100/year and use the free super-saver shipping. Paying an extra $80/year is a total waste of money for me because I don't require my books in 2 days (they get here almost that fast, however).

In addition, I still like the feeling of holding a REAL book. It lacks the search features I love, yes, but it's simpler to reference without hogging system resources, taking another device, or having to continually switch between monitors/desktops.

lukifer• 15 years ago

LCD allows Amazon to sell video content (and possibly games and apps) in addition to books. There's no way that the Kindle Tablet was gonna be anything else.

However, I'd be shocked if they scrapped their highly successful e-ink Kindle, so worry not. (I also prefer e-ink; my Nook Touch is one of the best products I've ever owned.)

sliverstorm• 15 years ago

Mildly disappointed? That's putting it mildly! I was going to buy one. Now I'm not :(

95% of the reason I bought my Kindle was because it has an eInk screen.

tedunangst• 15 years ago

Maybe the public library can survive by lowering their rental rate to zero, too.

tjr2• 15 years ago

I was at a university library in St. Louis and was surprised to find shelves and shelves and shelves of books pertaining to the history of railroads. I had no idea that so many volumes had been written on this topic; I seriously doubt that all of these (possibly even any of these) are available as Kindle ebooks.

For that matter, many of the books in my own personal collection are still in print as paper books, but not available as ebooks.

I'm not sure how public libraries will continue to survive, but I'm not entirely sure how they are surviving now. It seems to me that the biggest chunk of their business is lending recent pop fiction novels and providing free internet access. But the point is, there is still lots of information ostensibly accessible in libraries that is not available on the Kindle. It'd be a shame if that information just vanished because people could get their pop fiction for free from Amazon.

But maybe that's the difference between public libraries and university / research libraries. Perhaps the two should merge, with the university libraries (which are funded and needed by the universities) also servicing the general public. The library at Cornell College operates this way.

scotch_drinker• 15 years ago

I don't see much in that article to support "the death of the public library" hyperbole. It's easy to forget that $80 a year is a LOT of money for most people. When you are in technology, it's hard for you to understand how few people still are in the world that don't have internet access or computers. I was a member of a library advisory board in my city and the circulation rate and number of checked out items continues to climb.

The ultimate death of the public library probably won't come from some advance in technology but in the continued short-sightedness of local politicians who continue to underserve the poor and lower classes of their communities. Politicians see the libraries as easy ways to cut money from the budget, ignoring the fact that people who can't afford a computer and always on internet are the ones who need the library the most. In this day in age, it's getting harder and harder to get a job without a computer. If the library goes away, the unemployed poor are crippled.

The public library isn't just a place to get books. Just because you can get unlimited books on the Kindle won't mean the library is useless and articles like this only add to the fire that politicians use to justify decreasing funding for public libraries.

tjr2• 15 years ago

An important point! I wonder if it would be a good idea to separate provision of free internet and computer services from provision of books? It seems pretty obvious that free computer services should be a staple of society today, regardless of what happens to collections of publicly-available books.

dablya• 15 years ago

You can rent books from your public library and read them on the kindle...

The birth of the Kindle Tablet and the death of the public library

Related Stories