Technology Article

"Amazon lets you check out Kindle books from library websites, asks you to shush yourself at home" (http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/21/amazon-lets-you-check-out-kindle-books-from-library-websites-as/)

• Amazon Kindle is now letting customers check their books out from libraries. With a library card and amazon account, customers can download books straight to their Kindle. The libraries have a limited supply of each book and customers must return the books after a certain date checked out. 

• The stakeholders in this situation are library patrons who own Kindles. Instead of checking out physical books, they can now checkout virtual ones. 

• The social and ethical issues are people and machines and equality of access. It is a people and machines issue because library patrons can check out books through their Kindles. It is an equality of access issue because not everybody owns a Kindle or can even afford one, so many people cannot check out these digital books. 

• The area of impact is arts, entertainment, and leisure because it involves reading, which is a pastime for many people. Education can also be considered an area of impact because now more people can read free books, which provide education. 

• I am glad that Kindle is letting their customers check out library books. Although I do not own a Kindle, I know many people who will be happy to hear this news because it means that they do not need to spend a lot of money buying the books from Amazon. This news also means that more people have access to the library because they do not need to actually visit the library to check the books out.