Library e-books coming to the Kindle

NEW YORK - Owners of the Kindle from Amazon.com will be able to download e-books from 11,000 U.S. libraries later this year, the company said Wednesday.

Most U.S. libraries already provide e-books, which work with nearly all e-readers except the Kindle. They're also accessible on many smartphones and tablets like the iPad.

However, Amazon is also playing a bit of catch-up. Rival Sony already has a library program and so does Barnes & Noble's Nook via a service called Overdrive. Amazon says it's working with OverDrive Inc., which runs e-book systems for public libraries, to make the system compatible with the Kindle.

According to OverDrive, Kindle e-books will have the same lending terms as existing library e-books. Most libraries lend their books out for three weeks at a time. The e-books on Kindle will no longer open after that period of time.

Libraries have a limited number of "copies" of each e-book, so borrowers sometimes must wait for popular titles.

OverDrive said borrowers will browse for titles on PCs or phones, and can then chose to have them delivered to a Kindle or Amazon's Kindle applications for other devices, including phones and PCs. On iPhones and Android phones, borrowers can browse for books and download them directly today.

But the brief announcement also raised new questions who will have control over the content or what might follow in case Amazon modifies the terms of the arrangement. That's not entirely beyond the realm of imagination. Indeed, HarperCollins, put a cap on its lending program at 26 loans.