To me the answer to this question is just obvious. Myself, I have to be able to control my purchases of books. The money just isn't there to fully indulge my omnivorous book buying. So some books I buy new, some used and, as often as I can, I find and collect on-line books that are out of copyright and read them on whatever tech device is most comfortable.
I never buy books without having wish-listed them for a very long time and continually re-examine what I think I will get from them together with any information related to whether those expectations will be realized. I read all negative reviews. I stop and consider. So the books I buy, particularly the new ones, have been well weighed in the balance before they're ever bought.
I have to assume that most other people must do the same or similar things in order to live with their lust for books. So on-line libraries are an essential part of my overall book acquisition strategy. Not only for that reason, of course. One can find on-line literally millions of books that one can no longer buy. We today have access to an array of books past and present that long-ago bibliophiles would have died to possess. While we may very well not be living in a Brave New World, we certainly are living in a Brave New World for bibliophiles.
I never buy books without having wish-listed them for a very long time and continually re-examine what I think I will get from them together with any information related to whether those expectations will be realized. I read all negative reviews. I stop and consider. So the books I buy, particularly the new ones, have been well weighed in the balance before they're ever bought.
I have to assume that most other people must do the same or similar things in order to live with their lust for books. So on-line libraries are an essential part of my overall book acquisition strategy. Not only for that reason, of course. One can find on-line literally millions of books that one can no longer buy. We today have access to an array of books past and present that long-ago bibliophiles would have died to possess. While we may very well not be living in a Brave New World, we certainly are living in a Brave New World for bibliophiles.