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One of the comments in the article hits on one of the main reasons I promote ebooks--that books never have to go out of print. Antique and vintage collectibles are one thing (and I do have a collection of 100+-year-old books) but there are some books I've wanted to read that are only available from used book dealers for hundreds of dollars. There is no interest to the books from a collectibility standpoint (no interesting binding or illustrations) other than I would like to read it. It would be nice to be able to purchase an electronic copy for a reasonable price.
My main topic of study, the work of Jane Austen, has 200 years of published scholarship as well as less scholarly material behind it. Some of us are slowly digitizing the public domain stuff. Some of it isn't quite public domain yet, but is still of interest; for instance, Elizabeth Jenkins' 1939 biography, which is wonderful but out of print at the moment. It would be nice if such works never had to go out of print. I think that is an area, among others, where ebooks can shine.
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