Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Don't you think the author might be slightly irked if a library bought one copy of his or her book, and then lent it to a million customers simultaneously? (Especially given the US library's system's shameful lack of a PLR.)
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Yes, it would be a problem and is the reason the current model is broken. One advantage of borrowing an eBook is that you do not have to go get a physical book. However, another advantage that I think people expect when borrowing from a library is that since it is an electronic book and not a physical book it should be available to them any time. Such is the case with buying an electronic book (stock is not limited) and watching movies on demand (stock is not limited). The only limitation is your connection to the Internet and how much information you can download.
Going back to my previous example -- if a teenager takes the time to go to a library and tries to check out an eBook and is unable to do so because the library says they're out of books (sounds silly, no?) then what do you think they'll do next? They'll go to a more reliable source: a file-sharing application. They get the book for free from the library. The library is not there to provide what they should be able to provide. Thus, the solution for them is to download it for free from another source.
Yes, it is wrong, but unfortunatly a solution to a broken library model for eBooks. A solution that may work is that if an eBook is 'out' then a person has the choice of paying a small fee to cover the licence costs in order to 'check out' the book immediately.
Note: I have never borrowed an eBook from the library so some of my points may be wrong. (e.g., does there exist an option to pay a small fee to get the book immediately?)