Warning: You Are About to Enter the Ebook Zone
While there is no evidence that library lending negatively affects sales, we do know that book borrowers are also book buyers. An April study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Society Project (“The Rise of E-Reading”), ebook enthusiasts read more books than the average print-book reader and prefer to purchase what they want to read, although some start their search for reading material at their library. People discover books at the library. With the demise of the local bookstore, the library becomes a welcome spot where book borrowers and buyers can browse. They can also be a point of sale for borrowers who are also buyers. Libraries are starting to offer a purchase option right in their catalogs in return for a share of the revenue. And why not? It’s time for libraries to claim more credit for the work we do promoting books and authors.
