[markbot]

The publishers could go the other way--make ebooks widely available to rent several years after hardcover release (in another "window") instead of letting libraries loan them out directly....but the library websites could provide distribution.

They could rent out a book for like $2 per week. I think that at the end of the day this would be more profitable for them than the current windowing system. If you are a fast reader then a book won't cost that much...but then it means you'd probably read a lot more books. It's better for publishers than a secondary market and book loaning where they get nothing on a marginal basis.