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My entire DTB collection is founded upon previous library loans. It is how I personally become acquainted with books that are my favorites.
Books I decided that, after repeated loans, that borrowing them is simply not good enough, and next disposable income (I get cash gifts from relatives for birthdays and Christmas) I will get it! Yes it provides people who have a low budget to also read good literature too, but it's also a way to advertise and "try before you buy", and many people, myself included do actually buy when we know we are going to love what we are buying.
The publishers' restrictive lending licenses are simply a joke. I have been using the same library for 17 years and have borrowed the same exact physical DTB copy repeatedly over the years of a favorite. I can tell by the physical wear and tear characteristics. (Dog ears, smudge stains etc). So even their comparison of e-books to DTB is completely and utterly flawed.
Thankfully, most of my favorites (classics) are already available to me legally and freely via project gutenberg and mobileread. Newer materials by authors I've never heard of are available free or cheap, drm-free, on Smashwords. It's clear there are some businesses left, who do want to establish a popular base of people who prefer freedom in what they read, and unlimited personal use in what they buy.
And yes, I will view any of the expensive books via the library, and if I love a book, and it's priced to entice me personally to buy it and is DRM-free, I'll definitely blow my entertainment budget on it. Until then, publishing companies clearly don't want me as a paying customer.
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