[Thrall]

Our local libraries recently started an ebook program. However, copyright restrictions mean they aren't allowed to loan a single 'copy' out to more than one person at once. With the relatively small number of ebook copies available compared to the number of library users, last time I checked there was a long waiting list for most books. Perhaps ironically, it is quicker to go to the library and borrow a paper copy. (The irony being that one of the advantages of ebooks over paper books is that you don't have to wait for them to be delivered)

[greenyoda]

I suspect that as e-books become more popular, libraries are going to license them in larger quantities. They're a big cost saver for libraries since they take no space to store, no labor to re-shelve and can't be damaged or stolen.

[vertex-four]

The trouble with this is that without legislation in place to control the pricing of e-books as sold to libraries, e-book publishers use a number of tricks, from significantly higher pricing to making each license only valid for a set number of borrows before another license has to be bought, which negates the "they can't be damaged" benefit.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/06/ebooks-on-borro...

[fakename]

There's still a lot of bullshit licensing, like ebooks that can only be checked out a finite number of times, in order to reflect the average shelf life of physical books.