Amazon introduces a lending library for Kindle/Prime users

Mike Dang | 03:36 PM, Thursday, November 3, 2011

General Shopping

Photo by Amazon.com

Amazon's been on fire lately. Earlier this week, we wrote about how on online retail giant has been making itself a digital media force to be reckoned with due to recent content agreement deals with studios like Fox, CBS, and Disney-ABC which is providing Amazon Prime members with nearly 13,000 TV shows and movies for unlimited streaming.

This hardcover book belongs in a museum

This morning, Amazon announced to Prime members that it would also be offering them a new digital library called the "Kindle Owners' Lending Library," which will allow Amazon Prime members with Kindles to initially access more than 5,000 titles to borrow for free, including more than 100 current and former national bestsellers:

Kindle owners can now choose from thousands of books to borrow for free, including over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers — as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates. No other e-reader or ebook store offers such a service.

One free book to borrow a month is a great perk for Prime/Kindle users, who already have access to e-books at their local libraries. This announcement comes just before the holiday shopping season, and we surmise that the Kindle will be a hot-selling item this year, as it was during previous holidays.