--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, many public libraries want to lend…" description: "\"Now, many public libraries want to lend e-books, not simply to patrons who come in to download, but to anybody with a reading device, a library card an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/scott-turow-3838_after_now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e_2644470.jpg" --- # Now, many public libraries want to lend e-books, not… ![“Now, many public libraries want to lend e-books, not simply to patrons who come in to download, but to anybody with a reading device, a library card and an Internet connection. In this new reality, the only incentive to buy, rather than borrow, an e-book is the fact that the lent copy vanishes…” quote by Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/scott-turow-3838_after_now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e_2644470.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/scott-turow-3838_after_now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e_2644470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/scott-turow-3838_after_now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e_2644470.jpg) > “Now, many public libraries want to lend e-books, not simply to patrons who come in to download, but to anybody with a reading device, a library card and an Internet connection. In this new reality, the only incentive to buy, rather than borrow, an e-book is the fact that the lent copy vanishes after a couple of weeks.” [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Discussion on e‑book lending models and consumer incentives **In simple terms:** E‑books are lent like physical books, but digital copies disappear quickly Key Takeaway Consider how lending policies affect buying decisions Themes libraries digital media consumer behavior Mood analytical informative Type policy industry When to use this quote - library policy planning - publishing strategies - user experience design Key Concepts access rights digital scarcity market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What incentives could encourage purchase over borrowing? - How does digital scarcity impact reading habits? A Different Perspective Limited access may reduce long‑term readership engagement ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [After](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) [Anybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anybody/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Borrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrow/) [Borrow Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrow-book-2298175/) [Buy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buy/) [Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/card/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Connection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connection/) [Copy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copy/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Device](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/device/) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/download/) [Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact/) [Incentive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentive/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Internet connection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet-connection/) [Lend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lend/) [Lend Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lend-books-1929850/) [Lent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lent/) [Lent Copy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lent-copy-2298174/) [Libraries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries/) [Libraries Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries-want-2298176/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public/) [Public Libraries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-libraries-488549/) [Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rather/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simply/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Vanishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanishes/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weeks/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [There are seventy million books in American libraries, but the one you want is always out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-seventy-million-books-in-american-libraries-but-the-one-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Authors and publishers want fair compensation and a means of protecting content through digital rights management. Vendors and technology companies want new markets for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/authors-and-publishers-want-fair-compensation-and-a-means-of/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Seventy million books in America's libraries, but the one you want to read is always out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lansing-masson/seventy-million-books-in-america-s-libraries-but-the-one-you-want-to/) [Thomas Lansing Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lansing-masson/) > [When I became a published writer, I said, 'Whatever I can do to help the libraries I want to do,' so all of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/when-i-became-a-published-writer-i-said-whatever-i-can-do-to-help-the/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [People are much more willing to lend you books than bookcases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/people-are-much-more-willing-to-lend-you-books-than-bookcases/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Lending Out Books You're always giving, my therapist said. You have to learn how to take. Whenever you meet a woman, the first thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sirowitz/lending-out-books-you-re-always-giving-my-therapist-said-you-have-to/) [Hal Sirowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sirowitz/) > [Do you lend books and DVDs to people? If so, don't you always regret it? All my life I have forced books on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/do-you-lend-books-and-dvds-to-people-if-so-don-t-you-always-regret-it/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“I do lend my books, but I have to be a bit selective because my marginalia are so incriminating.” --Alison Bechdel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-price/i-do-lend-my-books-but-i-have-to-be-a-bit-selective-because-my/) [Leah Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-price/) > [Never lend books, for no one ever returns them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/never-lend-books-for-no-one-ever-returns-them/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Never lend books, for no one ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are books that other folks have lent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/never-lend-books-for-no-one-ever-returns-them-the-only-books-i-have/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-america-i-love-still-exists-at-the-front-desks-of-our-public/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Public libraries are our great teachers and storytellers, and are a vital adjunct to our schools. In this day of standardized and homogenized education,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/public-libraries-are-our-great-teachers-and-storytellers-and-are-a/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [What is also strange to me is that public libraries have always been in the forefront of opposing censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/what-is-also-strange-to-me-is-that-public-libraries-have-always-been/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [“My experience with public libraries is that the first volume of the book I inquire for is out, unless I happen to want the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr/my-experience-with-public-libraries-is-that-the-first-volume-of-the/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr/) > [“Or you can use a computer for free in most public libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elinor-lebaron/or-you-can-use-a-computer-for-free-in-most-public-libraries/) [Elinor LeBaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elinor-lebaron/) ## More by Scott Turow > [I'm of that generation of Jews still deeply influenced by the Holocaust. Certainly the notion that the state power to kill can be subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-m-of-that-generation-of-jews-still-deeply-influenced-by-the/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I cannot think of a day in my life when the library didn’t exert a potent attraction for me, offering a sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-cannot-think-of-a-day-in-my-life-when-the-library-didn-t-exert-a/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [Widespread public access to knowledge, like public education, is one of the pillars of our democracy, a guarantee that we can maintain a well-informed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/widespread-public-access-to-knowledge-like-public-education-is-one-of/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I'm an ambitious person, and Harvard makes me feel successful, just having gotten in here. That's the ugly side of why I'm proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-m-an-ambitious-person-and-harvard-makes-me-feel-successful-just/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [My sister was a twin, and the other baby died in childbirth, and I was three at the time, and I always kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/my-sister-was-a-twin-and-the-other-baby-died-in-childbirth-and-i-was/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [After a week, it's better. I miss her. I mourn her. But some peace has returned. She had been so unattainable - so young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/after-a-week-it-s-better-i-miss-her-i-mourn-her-but-some-peace-has/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [There are lots of things about Amazon for which they deserve credit. They're innovative. There are lots of very, very happy Amazon customers. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/there-are-lots-of-things-about-amazon-for-which-they-deserve-credit/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [Postmodernism cost literature its audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/postmodernism-cost-literature-its-audience/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [Libraries function as crucial technology hubs, not merely for free Web access, but for those who need computer training and assistance. Library business centers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/libraries-function-as-crucial-technology-hubs-not-merely-for-free-web/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [That led me to say that when push comes to shove, I'm against capital punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/that-led-me-to-say-that-when-push-comes-to-shove-i-m-against-capital/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I hate second-guessing other lawyers because I know that I've tried and lost cases, and somebody could sit there and say, 'Should have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-hate-second-guessing-other-lawyers-because-i-know-that-i-ve-tried/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [The issue is not whether there are horrible cases where the penalty seems "right". The real question is whether we will ever design a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/the-issue-is-not-whether-there-are-horrible-cases-where-the-penalty/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [“It was crime at its purest, in which empathy, that most fundamental aspect of human morality, evaporated and another being became only a target…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/it-was-crime-at-its-purest-in-which-empathy-that-most-fundamental/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [“You accept that it happened. But you know that life burned this hole in your heart and it's not going to heal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/you-accept-that-it-happened-but-you-know-that-life-burned-this-hole/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > ['Presumed Innocent' was written over a six to seven year period with intervals in between where I was figuring out the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/presumed-innocent-was-written-over-a-six-to-seven-year-period-with/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) [Explore all 118 Scott Turow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) ## More After quotes > [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [I was strictly after hits when it came down to the Jackson 5. That's all I was concerned with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deke-richards/i-was-strictly-after-hits-when-it-came-down-to-the-jackson-5-that-s/) [Deke Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deke-richards/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I have a lot of success and make a good living, but after while, you start going 'Why? Why are you doing all this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-have-a-lot-of-success-and-make-a-good-living-but-after-while-you/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/see-to-do-good-and-you-will-find-that-happiness-will-run-after-you/) [James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/) [Bert Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-lahr/) > [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. I did have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-m-pretty-cautious-and-not-very-athletic-so-i-ve-only-had-really/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [I'd like an omelet named after me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/i-d-like-an-omelet-named-after-me/) [Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/) [Browse all 3,411 After quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now, many public libraries want to lend e-books, not simply to patrons who come in to download, but to anybody with a reading device, a library card and an Internet connection. In this new reality, the only incentive to buy, rather than borrow, an e-book is the fact that the lent copy vanishes after a couple of weeks.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scott Turow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e-books-not-simply-to-patrons/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "After" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e-books-not-simply-to-patrons/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/scott-turow-3838_after_now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e_2644470.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/scott-turow-3838_after_now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e_2644470.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/scott-turow-3838_after_now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e_2644470.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now, many public libraries want to lend e-books, not simply to patrons who come in to download, but to…” — Scott Turow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Scott Turow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Now, many public libraries want to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e-books-not-simply-to-patrons/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/now-many-public-libraries-want-to-lend-e-books-not-simply-to-patrons/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```