4 ms·

Barring legislation, I just can't see digital lending ever being as good as a print library. At a print library, the library buys a book. They own that book, a

Barring legislation, I just can't see digital lending ever being as good as a print library. At a print library, the library buys a book. They own that book, and you check out that book for "free" (ignoring taxes and library dues). You do whatever you want with the book on your own time and turn it in. If the library ever goes under, those books are given to other libraries or to the community that funded it. In a digital library, the library is paying a subscription (read: rent) for the books in their catalog. The publishers set up the fee structures to suck as much money out of the taxpayer as possible. There is an artificial limitation on the number of books lended because libraries do not own their books. You check out "their" book, and are usually babysat by DRM schemes that keep them online only. Your access to a copy of an infinite number of copies eventually expires. Better hope the publishers don't charge more for rent next year, or those books might disappear from the catalog. This is especially a problem in scientific research, where underfunded university libraries might not be able to afford subscriptions to all of the major journals. Digital libraries are far more inefficient because of overly strong copyright laws and impotent fair use laws, not because there is something intrinsically wrong with the digital format. The only reason you cannot access every book ever scanned at your library is simple: greed.

musicale 3y ago
> Digital libraries are far more inefficient because of overly strong copyright laws and impotent fair use laws, not because there is something intrinsically wrong with the digital format. It saddens me that we are doing our best to destroy the intrinsic advantage of ebooks: availability for anyone to read, nearly anywhere in the world, basically for free. These are nearly ideal properties for libraries and readers, but are bitterly opposed by authors, publishers, and distributors who depend upon the current publishing business model. I'm not sure what the right balance is among stakeholders, but it's certainly not what we have now. The loss of value to humanity as a whole is great, and most authors don't seem to have decided to embark upon a new writing spree simply because copyright was extended. At least we can finally enjoy the bestsellers of 1925 (such as The Great Gatsby) without worrying about copyright or royalties.
ghaff 3y ago
>If the library ever goes under, those books are given to other libraries or to the community that funded it. Libraries also routinely cull their collections. Some go to an annual book sale or whatever--often augmented with donations. Based on what I see of my own library's book sale and how many books are still there near the end of the sale, I expect a large number are pulped every year. I don't really disagree with your broader point. > The only reason you cannot access every book ever scanned at your library is simple: greed. Libraries don't typically scan books themselves. DRM-free music mostly worked (for a while) because digital music was copied so much anyway. Of course, that's almost entirely shifted to streaming services. Every form of content has its own payment and compensation peculiarities and issues.
- StableAlkyne 3y ago
  Sorry for the ambiguity, by "every book ever scanned at your library," I meant every book ever scanned (e.g., Google Books or other virtual copies) becoming accessible at your library
RetroTechie 3y ago
Look at it another way: the scarce resource is not the stuff to read (there's a literal ocean of that these days), but readers' eye balls / time / attention span & the money they care to spend. So a DRM-encumbered or high-priced ebook, will (for most readers) just find itself lower on the pile of potential reading material. Over time, that paywalled stuff will either be lost, or (popularity-wise) buried under free / open access material.

musicale 3y ago

> Digital libraries are far more inefficient because of overly strong copyright laws and impotent fair use laws, not because there is something intrinsically wrong with the digital format. It saddens me that we are doing our best to destroy the intrinsic advantage of ebooks: availability for anyone to read, nearly anywhere in the world, basically for free. These are nearly ideal properties for libraries and readers, but are bitterly opposed by authors, publishers, and distributors who depend upon the current publishing business model. I'm not sure what the right balance is among stakeholders, but it's certainly not what we have now. The loss of value to humanity as a whole is great, and most authors don't seem to have decided to embark upon a new writing spree simply because copyright was extended. At least we can finally enjoy the bestsellers of 1925 (such as The Great Gatsby) without worrying about copyright or royalties.

ghaff 3y ago

>If the library ever goes under, those books are given to other libraries or to the community that funded it. Libraries also routinely cull their collections. Some go to an annual book sale or whatever--often augmented with donations. Based on what I see of my own library's book sale and how many books are still there near the end of the sale, I expect a large number are pulped every year. I don't really disagree with your broader point. > The only reason you cannot access every book ever scanned at your library is simple: greed. Libraries don't typically scan books themselves. DRM-free music mostly worked (for a while) because digital music was copied so much anyway. Of course, that's almost entirely shifted to streaming services. Every form of content has its own payment and compensation peculiarities and issues.

StableAlkyne 3y ago
Sorry for the ambiguity, by "every book ever scanned at your library," I meant every book ever scanned (e.g., Google Books or other virtual copies) becoming accessible at your library

RetroTechie 3y ago

Look at it another way: the scarce resource is not the stuff to read (there's a literal ocean of that these days), but readers' eye balls / time / attention span & the money they care to spend. So a DRM-encumbered or high-priced ebook, will (for most readers) just find itself lower on the pile of potential reading material. Over time, that paywalled stuff will either be lost, or (popularity-wise) buried under free / open access material.