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SURVEY: Do You Borrow Ebooks from the Library?

By Edward Nawotka, Editor-in-Chief

If you have a library card these days, you likely have at least some access to borrow ebooks from your local branch. Take the survey.

Alas, library ebook lending has proven to be very contentious, with publishers committing and then withdrawing support, librarians clamoring for standardization, and on and on. Nevertheless, companies are working slowly toward a solution. Ingram, for one, has put forth MyiLibrary, whose lending model is discussed in today’s feature story, “Ingram’s MyiLibrary Tackles Thorny Ebook Lending Scenarios.”

I, like many, live in a multi-device household. And I, like many still find the process of borrowing ebooks from the library somewhat inconvenient. Will they have the book I want available? More than likely, no, especially if it is a popular title. And there’s no option to resort to inter-library loan. Will Adobe Editions recognize my ereader, and will my computer play nice with the DRM? Well, sometimes.

Aside from these inconveniences, even having the option to borrow an ebook is a boon to all readers. So tell us, do you borrow books from the library? Take our survey and share your experiences, thoughts and suggestions with us in the comments.

Do You Borrow Ebooks from the Library?

  • No, I have never tried (30%, 35 Votes)
  • Yes, infrequently (23%, 27 Votes)
  • Yes, frequently (22%, 26 Votes)
  • No, I have tried and didn't like the experience (17%, 20 Votes)
  • No, I don't read ebooks (8%, 10 Votes)

Total Voters: 118

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2 Comments

  1. Posted February 23, 2013 at 8:52 am | Permalink

    After writing this story I tried to help my kid borrow a “Big Nate” ebook from the NYPL. I logged on to their user website and it seemed they had available copies. They said they’d email me when it was ready to “pick up.” Two weeks later, and no email from NYPL…

  2. Alice
    Posted February 23, 2013 at 9:01 am | Permalink

    My library uses overdrive, which can be clunky but has lately improved. However I have a big problem with Overdrive offering Kindle titles. I can read kindle books on my iPad and I was appalled to get advertising and pressured to buy books from Amazon at the end of the loan. I realized that my privacy had been invaded and that the librarians whom had always been staunch guardians of their patrons’ privacy had apparently sold out to Amazon. This is a huge problem. If Amazon wants kindle owners to borrow library books, they should figure out a way for the kindles to run regular books.

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