I was just at my local library over the weekend, not having stepped inside one for a very long time. I was actually there to get my library card renewed, as I h

I was just at my local library over the weekend, not having stepped inside one for a very long time. I was actually there to get my library card renewed, as I hadn't used it for so long it became out of date. So, I'm browsing the stacks, and see a few books that look intriguing. But here's the thing: I don't have time to check them out and read them. There was a time I could and would do that, but age and responsibilities have cut that short. So - I do what any 21st century citizen with a smartphone does - I searched for them on Amazon. I ended up finding all of the titles on Amazon, but the kicker was that the physical copies of the book (even hardbound!) were cheaper - cheaper! - than the ebook (kindle) version. So - I purchased them; they should arrive at my door in a couple of days. I'll get to read them at my leisure, I won't have to worry about overdue fines or anything like that, and best of all - I have physical copies. Overdrive goes away? Well - I can still read my copies. Publisher decides to revoke the ebook license? Well - I can still read my copies. Long story short: Nothing beats having a unencumbered, non-licensed, non-encrypted copy of a piece of information (physical or otherwise). Without it, you are just borrowing it from someone, and they can take it back at will, and you are SOL. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people - ordinary people - to understand this. Maybe the 50,000th time they have to repurchase the "White Album"?