There was an interesting thread this morning on Amazon’s Kindle forums concerning library use and e-ink Kindles. According to the opening post, “Many libraries are switching to 3M Cloud and using Axis 360 ditching Overdrive.”

The poster’s complaint is relevant because the 3M Cloud is not compatible with e-ink Kindles, only the Kindle Fire.  At at the bottom of 3m’s list of compatible devices, it says:

The 3M Cloud Library is not currently supported by Amazon. If you would like compatibility with your Kindle device not indicated above, please contact kindle-feedback@amazon.com.

However, the forum posts go on to point out that the problem with 3M is not Amazon’s. It goes on to note that 3M was created as a partnership between Penguin. the New York Public Library and 3M with the intention of creating a system that didn’t support the Kindle.  (Nate from the Digital Reader wrote an article about this back in 2012.)

Both Axis 360 and 3M are said to be cheaper for libraries than current Overdrive prices. It seems that some libraries use Overdrive along with one of the other systems, while other libraries are choosing with one over the other. For libraries who switch to 3M or Axis 360, patrons with an e-ink Kindle are left out in the cold.

Understandably, avid library users who own e-these unsupported devices aren’t happy.

Obviously, 3M and Axis 360 have been available for quite some time now. This thread made me wonder if library patrons are starting to see their libraries shift to other e-book providers.

Does anyone have any experience with this? What is your library using to lend ebooks? Have they changed systems? Please share in the comments. 🙂