NY Public Library Offers E-Books - With a Catch

The NY Public Library continues to move into the modern age, now offering downloadable e-books via their website. However, since the NYPL's deal is with Microsoft, the e-books can't be read on the ubiquitous iPod... which can only mean that iPod users will never read! The e-book on your computer or PDA will expire after 21 days, but CNET points out that e-books burned to disc or stored to the drive will be fine. Which makes Gothamist wonder if the new underground illegal file sharing fad will be books - take that, libraries that ban books! [Via reader Matthew]

The NYPL also has wonderful digital collections of prints, photographs, maps, text, you name it at the NYPL Digital Collection. Warning: You can get lost in them for hours.

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By Jen Chung in News on June 15, 2005 1:07 PM

Comments [rss]

a librarian

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA602667.html

another librarian

it's not really about being lazy. i'm concerned that a public institution, funded by taxes, seems to be supporting a commercial product. NYPL should remain neutral. they should find companies to deal with that don't exclude and they should excerpt their influence

urgh

what im trying to say is that most mac users dont have WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER.

Cgee

As stated above, it is just the audiobooks that are not iPod-compatible. An 'another librarian' stated, Mac users just have to expend a little more energy to get the audio on the iPod. Crissakes, the audiobooks are free -- don't be so f'in lazy :-)

a librarian

true. but it still seems that mac people are out of luck.

another librarian

Since you can burn the audio ebooks to discs, you can import those discs into iTunes - and have your ebook on your iPod.

a librarian

actually, NYPL has had e-books for over six months now. you can download them to any computer that has adobe reader. what they just recently launched was downloadable AUDIOBOOKS which yes, alas, are windows compatible only. it sucks i know but digital rights management and copyright and all that.

lame

dumbest move ever. every other person in this city has an ipod. well done NYPL.

Lola

The books available electronically from the NYPL also include audio books, which you can download onto your PC/laptop and then transfer to a portable audio device like an iPod, I gather. I may be wrong since I haven't tried it yet.