Quote:
Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes
“Everything you need and want is there,” she said. “There are unlimited books, and if a library doesn’t have a book, they can get it. . . . Our e-book library is not like that. There is such demand, and we’re struggling to keep up with it.”
I don't really get why this is a problem with e-books as opposed to paper books. Not everything is available in paper at my library. Not everything is availalbe as an e-book at my library. There are huge wait lists for some titles in paper books and some huge wait lists for e-books as well. To me, this isn't really a news headline, it's a fact that maybe some people never knew. The story is that technology hasn't solved problems, it's just changed what potential solutions might be. It's also making new issues when some books won't allow e-lending which is a real story because that is changing access to information and making knowledge not available to everyone, but only available to those that can pay.
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With paper books, if your library doesn't have it, they can put in a request with their library network and have a copy delivered from a partner library in
under 3 business days (if all copies in the network aren't checked out). With ebooks, that isn't possible.
Also, you seem to be confusing if an item isn't available due to the library not having a copy, and not being available due to being checked out. The quote refers more to the former than the latter.