library

Amazon launches free e-book borrowing for Prime members

In an interesting twist on e-book lending that's sure to rile competitors, Amazon has launched the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, which allows Amazon Prime members to check out up to one e-book a month for free with no due date.

Amazon didn't put an exact figure on the number of books that will be part of the new program, but says that it's "over 5,000" and includes more than "100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers." Not surprisingly, we found a number of Amazon-published e-books on the list. … Read more

Apple issues iPhoto update to support iCloud, more

Along with today's release of the iCloud service and OS X 10.7.2, Apple has issued an update to iPhoto '11 (version 9) that incorporates support for iCloud and devices running iOS 5, in addition to fixing a number of bugs, and performance and compatibility issues that have cropped up for users. According to the update, the following features have been added or fixed in the update:

Left and right swipe gestures can now be used to navigate between photos in Magnify (1-up) view. Previously imported photos are now displayed in a separate section of the Import window. … Read more

Facebook get groovy with music services

Kindle lets people borrow e-books from their public library, Pandora gets a site redesign in HTML5, and Facebook has some big changes in store at its F8 developers conference.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Facebook updates today Myxer Social Radio with Facebook Kindle users can borrows library books Google TV adds TBS, TNT Netflix aims to add TV content Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS HD

Kindle books now available from 11,000 libraries

Finally, it's possible to check out a book from your local library while blasting heavy metal music and avoiding the musty smell of the classics section.

Kindle book checkouts are now available from 11,000 libraries in the U.S.

The process is pretty simple: 1. Check with your local library's Web site to see if it offers the service. 2. Request the Kindle e-book you want with your library card. 3. You'll be redirected to sign in to your Amazon account so your e-book can be wirelessly delivered to your Kindle.

"This is a welcome … Read more

Report: Kindle library lending feature nears launch

Amazon has promised that the Kindle will get e-book library lending by year's end and word is the service is getting closer to launching, with beta testing reportedly under way in the Seattle area.

Nathan over at the eBook Reader Blog writes:

Amazon and OverDrive have quietly started rolling out Kindle ebook lending from public libraries, albeit in Beta. Even though there hasn't been any official announcement yet, some public libraries have already started lending ebooks for the Kindle...Plus the Device Resource Center over at OverDrive now lists the Amazon Kindle 3, Kindle DX, Kindle 1, and Kindle 2 as supported devices. The library ebooks will also work with Kindle apps and the Kindle Cloud Reader according to the public library books help page at Amazon.

Other e-readers, such as the Barnes&Noble Nook and Sony Readers, have offered the library lending feature for a while and some users swear by it. Basically, if your local public library offers e-book lending (and you have a library card) you can check out an e-book for a set period of time (usually less than two weeks). Often, there's a wait list for more-popular titles--and only a fraction of e-book titles are available for borrowing--but the best thing about the service is that it's free.

For more info on the Kindle library lending feature, check out this page on Amazon. To find out if your local library is lending Kindle e-books, you'll have to check its Web site. … Read more

OS X Lion: Where did my Library go?

In OS X, user accounts are structured so that most user settings and resources that applications need are located in the Library folder. As a result, when troubleshooting various problems with settings and applications you may be able to fix the problem by changing something in this folder. In versions of OS X prior to OS X 10.7 the Library folder was readily accessible in the user's Home directory, but upon upgrading to Lion people are finding the Library folder appears to be missing.

The Library folder is in fact just hidden from view by default in Lion, … Read more

Library of Congress: We didn't call WikiLeaks 'extremist'

The Library of Congress says it was not responsible for categorizing a WikiLeaks-related book as "extremist" and that it has decided to removed that label.

A spokesman for the library told CNET today that it adopted that classification in its catalog automatically after another major library system--apparently the National Library of Australia--had applied it to a recent book about the document-leaking Web site. Librarians call this practice "copy cataloging."

"Copy-cataloging was the method used for the book in question," Library of Congress spokesman John Sayers said. "With the huge quantity of material it … Read more

How to manage folders in libraries in Windows 7

Windows 7 provides users with several libraries that consolidate different types of files, such as music or video, into one easily accessible location. But what if you want to add your own folders to these libraries or remove them? Follow these four steps to find out how!

Step 1: Launch Computer from the Start menu.

Step 2: In the pane to the left, expand the Libraries folder by clicking the small triangle next to it if the list is not already visible.

Step 3: Right-click on the Library you want to modify and select "Properties" from the menu … Read more

Google to scan 250,000 old British Library books

Google Books has an ambitious mission statement: "Google Books is an effort to make all of the knowledge contained within the world's books searchable online."

That's a tall order, but the company will make a dent in it with a new agreement to scan 250,000 books from the British Library.

The books, pamphlets, and periodicals are all out of copyright and come from between 1700 and 1870. This is a nice companion project to the British Library's new 19th Century Books app that will eventually put thousands of old books on your iPad.

To put it in perspective, these books were generated during some famous events you may have heard of, including the French Revolution, the invention of rail travel, and the end of slavery. Google will foot the cost for this mammoth digitizing effort.

The digitized books will be available free online through Google Books and the British Library site. Readers will be able to view, copy, and share the text for non-commercial uses.

I'm most looking forward to reading "De Natuurlyke Historie van den Hippopotamus of het Rivierpaard" from 1775. That translates to "The Natural History of the Hippopotamus, or River Horse." According to the British Library, this rare tome includes the story of a stuffed hippopotamus that belonged to the Prince of Orange. Awesome.… Read more