I have some ebooks on my reader that I have bought or were free. Does anyone know if ebooks can be donated to a library? Our library is very small.

Does anyone know if ebooks can be donated to a library? Our library is very small.

From what I understand, there's no way to give, sell or lend an ebook that's legal unless you're doing it through an approved method.

For example, Amazon has books that can be lent to another Amazon member once, for 14 days. (And I think B&N does as well.) But only certain books are on the loaning list.

Otherwise, it's illegal. Libraries can't take them because they'd get into big trouble. They have to go through a system to buy/rent/lease ebooks and have contracts with the publishers or Overdrive (a library lending site)  covering what books they can make available, how many, and for how long.

The only exceptions I know of would be for books in the Public Domain, such as those at The Gutenberg Project. Anyone can do anything they want with those they get from Gutenberg as long as they follow the rules listed inside each book. But, since those are free to everyone, a library may not want to actually list them, but point people to where to get them.

No, libraries no matter their size cannot take ebooks from anyone but the author or publisher or vendor.   We had to sign contracts, follow certain rules before we could lend any ebooks to patrons. We also cannot use free books from amazon or other sources that normal people can use.   BUT if you usually get free ebooks from a set source or follow some blog, you could send that information to the library for them to share with patrons. 

Well, beans. Rules are a pain. Odd as you can donate CD's, DVD's, and books. Called our library here, but the lady that would know is out of town.

Thanks

Odd as you can donate CD's, DVD's, and books.

Ebooks are a whole other world when it comes to copyright stuff. There have been huge fights behind the scenes that most people since at least 1995 that I know of. Most publishers didn't ever want to be in the ebook business to start with.

With physical books and stuff, the publisher can control how many are out there by how many they publish. And, eventually, even the secondary market books, DVD's and physical books will wear out. Then they can put out new ones and make more money. And they figure in that the secondary market (like libraries, used book stores and PBS) will cut into their sales. But, eventualy, most copies will die out or fall apart.

With ebooks, you can make unlimited copies. If you take one ebook without DRM (Digial Rights Management = locked to a person or device.) and if that one book could legally be copied as many times as you want, it would never wear out the author/publisher would never sell more than one book. (We'd all just wait until one friend bought their copy, then share.)

So they're a bit reluctant to have them freely loaned out.

In fact, one legal lending site that only got together people who could legally borrow Nook and Kindle books was just taken down by mad authors and publishers because they thought it was a pirate site. It never hosted the books, and only got people together to borrow legal copies (Like Lindle.me does!) And they all send legal letters and threatened to sue. The authors apparently didn't understand that they'd already given permission for Amazon and Barnes and Noble to loan out one book per purchase to other people. They all freaked and got the site pulled down, even though it had nothing to do with piracy.

So even some authors don't understand it all.

eBooks are considered to be legally a lease.  Twisted but true. 

In addition, some DRM uses your credit card data.  So you would not want that info out in the public. 

As the others have said, CDs and DVDs and BOOKS are a whole different animal.

I work in a library, I deal with donated items and had to educate myself on ebooks.  I asked the selector who buys ebooks and NO we have been told by vendors, and publishers that ebooks cannot be donated and added to collections.  The only legal way for a library to loan ebooks is through the approved methods, approved by the publishers.  And yes we basically do lease ebooks even when buying them.

Emily which library?? You are close by and we have the inter library deliveries, might be something I can get my library to help yours out with by spreading the word.

And I know several of the children's sections like digital cameras for the teen activities.

Found the friends site that mentions it :) Will pass it around.