[UK, but I assume same everywhere] Libraries have their own set of massive problems though, usage has been dropping off for years. Public libraries keep steadil

[UK, but I assume same everywhere] Libraries have their own set of massive problems though, usage has been dropping off for years. Public libraries keep steadily expanding the internet services relative to books. They're still central to a small group of people's lives, but that's generally contingent to them being free. Private fee-based libraries already exist, have done forever. There's never been an issue with having those libraries allow sale of some titles at discount due to bulk buying, but that's always going to exclude some interesting/rare titles (which could well be mitigated in part by ebooks, but then this goes full circle; why do you need a physical shop). University libraries are generally accessible to anyone for a fee, but are maybe too specialist and tooled toward courses to be universally useful (+ there's that balance to be made between learning and land value which seems to be swinging heavily toward the latter). I really, really hope there is some path that would work here (i value books over any other possession, I'm a member of 2 public libraries, my old University's library, and a private library, so I'm pretty partisan) but I'm sceptical as to survival prospects of that line of thinking. [plug, just member] the Lit and Phil in Newcastle - if you're in the the North East of England, it's an incredible, beautiful thing, and well worth the small yearly fee