Quote:
Originally Posted by JeremyR
Beyond that, that's what library patrons also seem to want - the library to buy one e-book and then it being read by dozens (or hundreds ) of people until the end of eternity. Isn't that a little unfair to the author? The 26 rental limit is perfectly fair...authors deserve compensation as well.
|
Really? "Fair"? Do you honestly believe 26 checkouts accurately reflects the life expectancy of a hardcover book in a library? There may be a legitimate number that reflects the realistic life expectancy, but perhaps you could talk to one of your local library folks to see approximately how many times on average they're able to send a book out before it becomes unusable.
Personally, I find "26" ridiculous. It has nothing to do with real life expectancy of books and everything to do with a money-grab by another scumbag publisher.
In general, I think we need a LOT fewer laws, but having libraries, ensuring they can obtain materials at REASONABLE prices, and keeping them available and vibrant strikes me as a legitimate public good. I'm in a town with approximately 11,000 residents and we have a public library that's used for a wide variety of purposes from Internet access to public meetings to books, movies, audio books, and so on. But then, I'm an old fart that thinks libraries have great value to a community.