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I think they are.
Libraries are in a bit of a bind in the US I read in that they don't own the ebooks they lend out, but instead pay a fee per borrow.
Probably they calculate thier budget based on an average borrowing time per book.
I doubt that they care if you de-DRM the book for your personal use but if they are charged a significant sum per loan (say $0.25 tp $1) and 2000 users each borrow 5 books per week, returning them automatically in 7 days this cost $2500 to $10,000 per week.
Even at $0.01 per book this is $100 a week and many libraries have more than 2000 ebook borrowers. And it is a rapidly expanding market.
People borrowing more than they read for whatever reason can put a strain on the system as a whole.
Being 99th on the waiting list may seem intolerable, but is it really? People drop out because they choose something else and have two many on hold or miss the notice from the library that it is available. And I have waited months for a pbook hold so is this any different?
Getting multiple cards you are not legitimately entitled to is precisely the same as pushing your way to the front of the line-up and refusing to budge because you are in a hurry.
Like read another book already.
Helen
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