Lending Libraries in the Twenty First Century

There was a time when you got an Audible Subscription and you had access to 24 credits per year. You could choose 24 books per year. That’s a new book every two weeks. Eventually, after many years the plan and offer changed. You can now buy books from Audible, or you can borrow others from the Audlbe plus catalogue. In this manner you have access to thousands of books for "free", as if you had a paying library membership.

Kindle and Kobo also offer a "free" lending library for people who pay about 10 CHF per month. In the case of Kobo, for 12 CHF per month they throw in a selection of audio books. Unlike me some people like to buy one book at a time, and then read that book.

I prefer to buy a book, and then another, and then a third. In the end I have a collection of books that I am reading, and that I still have to start reading. With the Kindle Unlimited plan, the Kobo Unlimited plan and others I get to read up to 12 books at a time that I haven’t bought specifically and if I give up it doesn’t matter, because I don’t own the book. I just borrowed it.

You might ask "Who cares" and the answer is "almost everyone" for a simple reason. Within two weeks Kindle will block book downloads to computers. This means that any book you bought now relies on Kindle remaining in business. If they go bankrupt or give up on books you could lose 30 CHF per book. With a subscription you never "owned" books you borrowed anyway.

People are right to ask "Why should I pay the same price for a virtual book as a physical book. Nexus costs 30 CHF as an e-book and as a physical book. It is absurd to pay 30 CHF for a small computer file.

Public Libraries

Recently two or more people have talked about public libraries and free access to books so I am in the process of setting this up. By gaining access to public libraries I gain the opportunity to borrow books, both physical, and electronic, and in some cases audio books too.

The process of getting a library card is simple and efficient. With a little more effort you can then gain access to two e-libraries which expands the choice further. Interestingly kindles do not play well, but other e-readers do.

And Finally

I love buying and owning books, but I also like to read and explore books that are sometimes more expensive. I have been tempted to buy a specific book for months, by now, that costs 26 CHF but didn’t. I found it in the library so now I saved 26 CHF and I can find new hiking ideas.