Quote:
Originally Posted by K. Molen
I took it as being about convenience. It's generally more convenient to buy a paper book than to borrow a paper book. But with e-books that's not really the case.
When you buy a paper book you have a lot more outlets to choose from, and they usually have better operating hours than libraries. Additionally, you don't have to remember to return it and you don't have to make the trek to do so.
With e-books it's just as convenient to download a book from Amazon as it is to download one from the library, and since it automatically expires you don't even have to remember to return it.
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That's assuming the library has enough copies in stock so you can log on and immediately reserve it, something that often doesn't happen. I've had to wait months for some books to become available. In general, checking out books from the library is less convenient for Kindle and Nook users than it is to buy it (I'm not sure if Kobo or Sony can download direct from their respective stores). But I will admit, when it is available it usually is more convenient to borrow an ebook than a paper book from the library. On the other hand, someone who is borrowing a book from the library probably wasn't going to buy it anyway.