Welcome the wonderful world of digital books. Watch this video to learn how to use our Overdrive collection. You’ll be able to download books right to your computer. No driving around to get the books you want. As with any new technology, sometimes there can be a few glitches the first few times you use it. So if you have any questions, just give us a call at 206-386-4636. We’ll help you figure it out.
I’m curious about what, if any, of the library’s e-book formats are compatible with Amazon’s Kindle. I have been drooling over the Kindle for quite some time, but more than the cost of the device I’m worried about all the money I’d spend on books to fill it up (when I already have enough paper books to keep me occupied for a couple of lifetimes!)–if I could download e-books from the library to it, I would be a happy, happy camper, but I don’t know how difficult the DRM would make things. (I have no interest in stealing books, only in putting them on the device for 3 weeks just like a library book.)
Hi Katie,
For the ebooks available via the Overdrive service, the answer is clear. Overdrive materials will not work with the Kindle, because Kindle does not support the Digital Rights Management (DRM) necessary to view those files.
Perhaps in the future we’ll be able to live in a world where digital copyright protections are reasonable and work across different computer platforms. But for now we’re stuck in a world where digital copyright is restrictive and creates all sorts of problems with various computer platforms. Maybe it’s time to rethink digital copyright in this country?
I was just speaking to a patron this morning (I’m a librarian) about Overdrive allowing its eAudio books to be burned to CD. He was of the mind that since Overdrive allows this that it is perfectly fine for him to burn CDs of audio books and keep them in his personal collection. There is a growing concensus that *if it is possible, then you should be able to do it*.
I agree with Toby that current digital copyright laws are restrictive, both because of problems with access to information across platforms and because it criminalizes common uses of digital information.
My 15 year old daughter gets flack from her friends because she won’t burn CDs of books or music to give to them. Her father is a former video producer and he waxes eloquent on the subject of copyright quite often. She has gotten the message but none of her friends appear to think it worth consideration.
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