From my perspective, there's two ways to read a book: consumption, and reference. For the most part, consumption is a single-use reading of a book, while reference is multiple-use. In consumption, you read it, and you're done. In reference, you return to it time and again. If I intend to consume a book, I just want to borrow it from a library. If I intend to use it as reference, I'm willing to buy it. This worked well in the era of paper books, and I developed a good collection of books that stood me well over time (and still does, though it's dated), and meanwhile read far more books from the library. There was no way I would (or even could) purchase all those books. But now, in the world of ebooks, the system is broken. Publishers expect me to buy every book I read. But I can't. I need a proper way to access ebooks from a library. So does everyone else in the world. And publishers be warned: if we don't get it, we're likely to stop paying for books altogether, even the ones we use for reference. So i support this call to action from Libby Homer "to ensure we have sustainable models for providing students (and other readers) with access to e-books and e-textbooks.
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