Sony Champions Library E-books, Rattles Amazon

As Amazon, Sony, Apple and a host of other big-time technology vendors prepare to do battle for the hearts, minds and pocketbooks of the world's readers, public libraries sadly are falling behind. Declining county revenue across the country results in fewer new titles, restricted hours and increased demand from underpaid or unemployed patrons.

If left unabated, that trend threatens to open up a whole new digital divide. Thankfully, according to San Jose Mercury News columnist Larry Magid, Sony has raised the bar by partnering with a third-party service called OverDrive that allows library patrons to "check out" digital versions of books in a similar manner to actually borrowing the pulp and ink version.

It's ridiculously simple, as Magid explains: "Just as with physical books, libraries purchase a limited number of digital licenses and once all 'copies' of a title are checked out, you have to wait for someone to 'return' their copy before you can check it out. But you don't have to go back to the library to return the book or pay overdue charges. The book simply expires from your device."

Dang, I thought the service would allow me to effortlessly check out books that are otherwise on the waiting list, but I guess it's a fair way to protect the publishers (sigh). However, it reminds me of similar conundrums in the music industry, as the shift from albums to easily replicated code forces copyright holders to re-examine how they distribute and control their products.

OverDrive currently partners with 9,000 library systems, including my home turf of Santa Cruz County.

The real story here, though, is Sony's gamesmanship against Amazon's Kindle. Amazon, no doubt, would rather have its users pay $9.99 a pop to download books from its online store. Unlike music, readers seldom re-read a book after the first run, so Sony definitely puts Amazon in a tight spot.

And the real winners? Well, readers of course!

Photo courtesy of Sony