The first English language reference to a “lending library” occurred in 1586. Since that time, they have taken many forms, including parish libraries, endowment libraries and municipal corporation libraries. Though they are to be distinguished from public (or circulating) libraries by the source of funding, they share a fundamental concept: participants “borrow” rather than “buy” the books in question.
The eBook, however, has challenged the concept of lending or borrowing books. Absent institutional support, the eBook remains tied to a single user. That’s tough to swallow. After more than five centuries of this practice, it’s also a hard habit to break. Most of us, at one time or another, have borrowed a book. I have personally lent copies of “Butcher, Baker” to a number of people, mostly family and friends. It’s an effective and efficient way to “spread the wealth.” Some of these borrowers later became buyers.
Now comes news that Amazon is taking steps to bring the eBook into the lending library tradition. Well, sort of… They’ve created the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. The operative words here are Kindle Owners’ who, by the way, must also be Amazon Prime subscribers. Yes, that’s correct. If you own any other device or eReader, you’re out of luck, even with an Amazon Prime subscription. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is using this restriction to drive Kindle sales.
Truth told, however, there is less here than meets the eye. Of the major six publishers, none are participating in this program. So Amazon is “offering” a grand total of 5,000 books. If we put that in mobile app terms, this would qualify Amazon as a third-tier player. It’s naive, however, to think that the lack of lending capabilities will make the eBook less popular or that it won’t eventually dominate book sales. And Amazon is making the most disruptive moves here.
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