For books that are in high demand, let's say you pay $25 to buy the book outright, but you can then lend it as many times as you want. Assuming it's always che

For books that are in high demand, let's say you pay $25 to buy the book outright, but you can then lend it as many times as you want. Assuming it's always checked out for two weeks, that's 26 readers a year who benefit, at a cost of less than $1 per reader per year. But in a typical library, most books in the catalog are checked out infrequently. It might not make financial sense to purchase those books outright. But if a library can pay a licensing fee on a per-checkout basis, then it can expand its offerings.