LOS ANGELES -- Kindle e-reader and app users will be able to check out electronic books from more than 11,000 public libraries later this year, according to Amazon.com Inc., the company that sells Kindle products.
The move will allow Kindle users to borrow any of their library's e-books, not just those purchased from Amazon, said David Burleigh, a spokesman at OverDrive, a Cleveland company that specializes in distributing digital music and books for schools and libraries.
"We are working to make sure that every e-book that is in a library's collection will be available to Kindle users," Burleigh said.
Amazon didn't specify in its announcement Wednesday when the new "Kindle Library Lending" service would start, but the company said that Kindle features, such as keeping track of the last page read and highlighting text, will work on the library e-book selections.
The service will allow users to have an e-book checked out for about 7 to 14 days, depending on the library's policy, Burleigh said.
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Three of Kindle's major competitors -- Barnes & Noble's Nook, the Kobo and the Sony Reader -- are already compatible with libraries.
Every generation of the Kindle reader, which Amazon says is its best-selling item, will work with the new service, as will all Kindle apps.
