Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Kindle books are at 11,000 libraries -- but any you want to read?

Kindle books are at 11,000 libraries -- but any you want to read? - latimes.com body {background-color:#ffffff !important;}ul#root li.navLink a {padding-top:17px; padding-right:4px; padding-bottom:16px; padding-left: 5px;} Subscribe/Manage Account Place Ad LAT Store Jobs Cars Real Estate Rentals Classifieds Custom Publishing latimes.com Business HOME LOCAL L.A. Now Politics Crime Education O.C. Westside Neighborhoods Environment Obituaries Findlocal U.S. Politics Nation Now Politics Now Top of the Ticket Science & Environment Obituaries Religion WORLD Afghanistan & Pakistan Africa Asia Europe Iran Iraq Mexico & Latin America Middle East Business Money & Co. Technology Personal Finance Small Business Company Town Jobs Real Estate Cars SPORTS Lakers Clippers Dodgers Angels NFL Ducks/Kings USC UCLA College Football Preps Scores/Stats ENTERTAINMENT Movies Television Music Celebrity Arts & Culture Company Town Calendar The Envelope Findlocal Health Booster Shots Fitness & Nutrition Medicine Behavior Healthcare Reform Hospitals Living Home Food Image Books Parenting Findlocal Magazine Reader Photos Summer Guide Travel California Hawaii Mexico Las Vegas Europe Asia Australia Travel & Deal Blog Opinion Editorials Op-Ed Letters Opinion L.A. Deals Save: Deals Go: Travel Eat: Food Wear: Apparel Live: Everyday Needs Play: Electronics Drive More Mobile Site Subscribe / Manage Account Print Ads Place an Ad LAT Store Jobs Cars Real Estate Rentals More Classifieds Weekly Ad#inTheNews {min-height:20px;} Advanced Search Advanced Search X include all of these words: include any of these words: include this exact phrase: exclude: Select a date range this week past 30 days past 3 months past year Create a custom date range From: To: TechnologyThe business and culture of our digital lives,
from the L.A. TimesKindle books are at 11,000 libraries -- but any you want to read?September 21, 2011 | 11:01amincrease text sizedecrease text size

KindleGraphicNowAvailable Amazon.com Inc. is trumpeting the availability of its Kindle e-books at 11,000 public libraries around the U.S., a step that is sure to make Kindle readers happy.

Until they find out how few Kindle books are actually available. 

At the Los Angeles Public Library, an institution whose downtown branch alone has more than two million volumes, only 8,700 Kindle books are listed on its website.  At the New York Public Library, one of the world's largest with a collection of nearly 15 million print titles. there are around 14,000 Kindle books available.  

Neither of those Kindle collections carries hugely popular recent bestsellers like the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series, Jonathan Franzen's "Freedom" or either of Amazon's top two current Kindle bestsellers. To be fair, they do both include Kathryn Stockett's popular "The Help," but most of the titles appear to be less well known -- e.g. "The Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt" and "The Nymphos of Rocky Flats."

Libraries have been relatively slow to adopt e-books, which can be both expensive and, because they are available online, can keep patrons from visiting physical branches.  But as more people have purchased e-readers over the last two years, and become comfortable with downloading digital books, circulation has ticked up significantly.

Amazon did not respond to a question about the number of available Kindle books, or the types of titles, available in U.S. libraries.

Take a look at your local library's Kindle collection (you may see the graphic at the upper right -- click on it to see what's available) -- and let us know what you think in the comments.

-- David Sarno

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