Amazon has announced that it will be following Sony’s lead and launching a library lending service for the Amazon Kindle in the US later this year.

The new service will let Kindle readers borrow Kindle books from over 11,000 local libraries around the United States to read on the Kindle and all Kindle apps for a limited time before having to return them - yep just like a library book.

Customers will be able to check out a Kindle book from their local library and start reading on any Kindle device or free Kindle app for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone making notes as usual as they go. 

If a Kindle book is checked out again or that book is purchased from Amazon, all of a customer's annotations and bookmarks will be preserved, otherwise they will be lost.

"We're excited that millions of Kindle customers will be able to borrow Kindle books from their local libraries," said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle on the news of the deal. "Customers tell us they love Kindle for its Pearl e-ink display that is easy to read even in bright sunlight, up to a month of battery life, and Whispersync technology that synchronizes notes, highlights and last page read between their Kindle and free Kindle apps."

Amazon has partnered with Overdrive to make the offering possible. If the name sound familiar it's becase its the same company that offers a similar service with other ebook reader makers like Sony and its eReader range. That service has been available since 2009.

Kindle Library Lending will be available later this year for Kindle and free Kindle app users. 

- How to borrow an ebook