Amazon to offer Library Lending to Kindle through Overdrive

This is <i>huge</i> for Amazon, because it eliminates the one competitive advantage the Nook (and others to a lesser extent) had over the Kindle -- compatibility with libraries.<p>As far as the potential for format fragmentation goes, it's still the wild west as far as the relationship between libraries, publishers and e-books go.

We have this wonderful technology called "computers". It allows us to replicate information with a marginal cost approaching zero, and yet we continue to handicap its potential so that it could resemble the printing press of the 16th century.

This is really awesome. I realize there will be limitations with the borrowing (despite the fact that they are digital books, there will be a limited number of "copies" available to be distributed at a given time), but that's totally understandable. I do hope, however, that you don't have to actually be at the library to download the books, that it can be done remotely.<p>If they throw a full functioning OS, like Android, on the next Kindle, keeping it at it's current size, I'm all there.

Any idea if this will still subject participate libraries to publishers' rules surrounding e-books, like HarperCollins' idiotic 26-circulation limit?

If I live in one city, would I be able to access the library of another city? Do all libraries essentially converge into one big cloud based library?

Massively awesome.<p>I need to start showing up at my local library meetings.<p>edit:<p>For the purpose of working to bring e-books to our local library system.

Yet another one of those times when I wish I lived in America. I don't want to move, so I'm going to start inventing the future right here damnit.