Libraries ramp up e-book lending

— -- Libraries nationwide are finding more ways to go mobile.

After a tentative foray into digital lending on PCs and e-readers several years ago, public libraries are opening the next chapter for smartphones and tablet computers.

The movement kicked into high gear in September when Amazon finally turned on its Kindle for 11,000 local libraries, triggering a flood of new users. App developers are also working with libraries to enable book lovers to borrow on their smartphones.

"With more devices for consumers to try, they're going to get better," says Christopher Platt of the New York Public Library. "And the e-reading experience will get better."

The evolution is playing out amid some challenges, including an ongoing squabble between eager-to-grow libraries and publishers that fear copyright infringement and losing money on digital distribution, their fastest-growing segment of business.

Some large publishers — such as Simon & Schuster, Macmillan and Hatchette — refuse to sell to libraries, thus limiting the availability of popular titles.

Still, customers' appetite for e-book lending is growing unabated. According to Library Journal, public libraries increased their offerings by 185% this year. E-books will account for 8% of their materials budget in five years, it says.

The New York Public Library has quadrupled its e-book budget since 2009 and plans to spend $1 million this year, Platt says. The Seattle Public Library's e-book circulation grew by 92% in 2010, says Kirk Blankenship, its electronic resources librarian.

Some new developments will accelerate the growth pace. Among them:

•Kindle agreement. Unlike the rival Barnes & Noble Nook or Sony Reader, Amazon has refused to play ball with libraries on its Kindle until a few weeks ago.

When Amazon finally did e-book lending on the Kindle and app, the rocket in circulation was quick, says Mary Dempsey of the Chicago Public Library. The New York and Seattle library systems say their e-book lending has risen by more than 30% since Kindle's agreement.

•Smartphone options. Reading options for smartphones and tablet computers are emerging quickly. Kindle's app works on both Apple's devices and the Android operating system.

Overdrive, a large e-book distributor for libraries, released its app for e-books. It has seen over 2 million downloads since its release late last year. In a trial, 3M, another e-book distributor, will install a kiosk next month at several libraries for browsing e-books. Customers read using 3M's library app.

•Library apps. Some libraries are considering their own apps. Douglas County Libraries in Colorado is on tap to be the first in the country with its own app.

It's a "white-label" reader technology developed by Seattle-based Bluefire, says Monique Sendze, the information technology director for Douglas County Libraries. When released in December, the app promises to allow patrons to browse, check out and read books. Its e-book lending has grown about 1,200% since it introduced it in February 2010.

The Chicago Public Library, whose e-book circulation is up 380% this year, is considering a similar app, Dempsey says.

The e-book lending experience has had its share of growing pains. A common complaint is that popular titles often aren't found or are checked out with long waiting lists.

That three of the largest publishers won't sell to libraries remains a barrier, says Carrie Russell, director of the program on public access to information for the American Library Association. "Some publishers think they will eat into their profit. Soon (some books) will be only in e-book (format) and it'll be difficult to stock these books. In the past we didn't have that concern; we could buy any book on the market."

E-books' high costs have also kept some libraries in check. For example, the New York Library paid $31.99 for an electronic copy of the novel The Language of Flowers, which is sold on Amazon.com for about $11 to $12. "When we acquired it, we basically gave up two print copies of that," Platt says.

To bring down cost and increase availability, libraries are suggesting various proposals, all of which will require publishers' consent.

One proposed alternative is to get libraries to buy e-book titles in bulk in return for "simultaneous access," or allowing any number of library patrons to check them out. "People using e-readers don't want to wait," Platt says.

Some publishers, such as Lonely Planet and Liquid Comics, are already experimenting with the proposal, says David Burleigh, Overdrive's director of marketing. The Seattle Public Library also has a simultaneous access agreement with Safari Books for technology e-books that it bought in bundles.

"People think of libraries in an old-fashioned way," says Russell, in encouraging publishers to make more e-book titles available to libraries. "We put on a whole show for books. We expose other books to readers."