Got my library card and everything that I want to read or listen to has months long waitlists. We know we can make as many copies as needed. The library is also taxpayer funded and not for profit. What gives? Is it some copyright nonsense?
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The library is not for profit, but the book author and publisher are. If a library could buy 1 copy of the ebook and then loan infinite copies, then the author can’t make money on the number of people reading their book, which is bad because it screws authors out of payment for their work.
So ebooks use a licensing system that makes it work a lot like physical books: The library has to buy separate licenses for a specific number of “copies” of the ebook, the same way as they’d have to buy multiple copies of a physical book. If the book is super good and popular and the library would have to buy like 50 copies to avoid a huge wait list, then it’s the same with ebooks – the library would have to buy 50 ebook licenses. Otherwise the author makes no extra money for 50 people at each library wanting their book vs 1 person wanting it.
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