There's a big difference between "the library" and "the library, where you use a photocopier": when a book is in more demand at the (normal) library, they buy m

There's a big difference between "the library" and "the library, where you use a photocopier": when a book is in more demand at the (normal) library, they buy more copies. That translates into more profits for the author. Authors like libraries for this very reason; authors do not like libraries-that-photocopy. Fortunately for them, there seem to be very few libraries where, if you go to check out a book, the librarian offers to photocopy it for you instead. The change the Internet Archive made is that they previously had a model of lending e-books that were backed by physical copies, and now they have a model of letting as many people read the e-book at once, without reference to physical copies. That means they've shifted from the library model to the library-that-photocopies model. Also, the photocopier at every library I've seen has a sign warning against non-fair-use copying of copyrighted material. So, one big difference is in intent, not just scale. Your average library discourages you from feeding quarters to the photocopier. This one has posted a sign arguing that unlimited copying is fair use for the next few months, and is handing you a roll of quarters.