Quote:
Originally Posted by leebase
I wonder what’s in it for a library to be in the ebook lending business anyway.
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Their mission is literacy promotion. This is right in that lane.
Periodicals are also important for that mission. My public library (through what seems a state-wide resource) provides access to major regional and national newspapers*. I personally consider this an act of democracy promotion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by leebase
I would think that services that don’t bring people into the library, help the library.
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I'm confused by this sentence.
Most human organizations, in or out of government, will try to preserve their own funding and existence. But that's not a legitimate mission.
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* Note to Pennsylvanians: This is in General OneFile under the Power Library. Using "advanced search" with publication date of today and publication title The New York Times, I get full text of 103 articles in alphabetical order. I also find 22 Washington Post articles dated today, and 48 from the Philadelphia Inquirer. This is a good example of how libraries are making resources public without overly harming the publisher business model. It doesn't cause me to cancel my Washington Post digital subscription, because that way is more convenient. But if I have to cancel due to finances, pay walls won't block me from reading what I consider the best journalism. Windowing sounds to me comparably reasonable for the eBook side.