----- Original Message -----

From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">David Potts

To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]

Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 7:16 PM

Subject: Re: Kindle links

Anne raises a good point.

You can see why Amazon might not want to offer a free alternative to their core business products, but there are lots of other places that a 'Borrow this book free' button could appear. Perhaps:

* a list of Book Prize nominees

* Books to support national campaigns/TV programmes by broadcasters like the BBC (e.g. Top Genealogy titles for family history programmes)

* Books to support campaigns by government (e.g. Health campaigns)

* A 'Top 100 Books Borrowed in Public Libraries This Month' type list

* Books as part of other campaigns/events like Black History Month, or Reader/Writer Festivals

I'm sure there are others. This would offer so many opportunities for public libraries to surface their content on the web sites of other key agencies and organisations, and in turn offer an additional way for existing and new users to obtain library books.

What Amazon has of course that libraries don't, is a singly presented database of national holdings to which the public have access. Most online access to library book collections in the UK (online access to the public) is on a local basis which means slightly different collections with slightly different interfaces. Very difficult to promote as a single unified coherent model. 

It is very true that mobile technology can now easily find where you are and in theory point you to your 'nearest' library catalogue, but this would require 200+ library authorities to 'opt-in' in order to properly advertise a comprehensive service. Otherwise you are into tiresome postcode lottery arguments.

If only there were a national catalogue (or a national union catalogue) to which the public had immediate access from anywhere and on any device, and could then 'one click' a request from anywhere in the country that could be picked up at their local library. If only... 

David Potts

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I read in The Times over the weekend that if you read the Times book reviews on a Kindle you can click on a link that says "Purchase this book".  What a pity we can't also get a link that says "Borrow this book free" that links to the local library service - but I guess Amazon wouldn't like that!

Anne Annison 
Library Services Manager 
Tel: 020 8708 2436 
Mob:  07940400016