British Library to sell rare books via Amazon UK

Following on in it's moves to adopt more modern technology, the British Library has announced that it is to team up with Amazon.co.uk to sell antique and out of print works. What's confusing in the presse release (see below) is that the alliance is simply allowing Amazon to access the records the Library keeps about the books, rather than unique parts of the Libary's collection itself. So they're only letting Amazon use its bibliographic information to provide details for other third party sellers. In part this is a move for Amazon to take part in the famously technology shy industry of antique books, but is just as much a statement by the Library that they want to make their collection available for the public to 'access'.

Natalie Ceeney, Director of Operations and Services at the British Library added: "The Library's alliance with Amazon.co.uk is a wonderful way to make our catalogue data relevant and available to an even wider audience. Our bibliographic catalogues are second-to-none and we are delighted that Amazon.co.uk will be using them to underpin and support the marketplace service."

BBC summary
Zdnet linkPress Release

"Just look at the exciting titles Amazon can now sell: Cake Design And Decoration, published 1963, and the ever-popular How To Keep A Man Eating Shark, published 1967!"