This is quite a hot topic at the moment. HarperCollins and libraries have locked horns over licensing issues/checkout limits. There is a general disagreement and confusion on all sides regarding the ownership of ebooks. Bookstores are going out of business and libraries are losing funding, yet books are as popular as ever. Ebook lending and buying is changing the landscape of libraries and the publishing industry. Ther is no doubt that these issues will stay divisive for awhile.
In the midst of this, NetLibrary has continued to function with few problems and is still an excellent resource. Rather bestsellers and ephemeral topics, NetLibrary is stocked with scholarly nonfiction and educaiton materials. It is a great resource for people trying to find online books that aren't as readily available on the shelves of their local library. Another excellent online resource is Project Gutenberg, a repository of books that are in the public domain. This is the best place to find free fiction downloads, though they are all classic titles due to copyright law.
Downloading from either site can be a bit confusing for a beginner, but a one-on-one session with a librarian, step-by-step guide or even online tutorial would assist people of all skill levels. I had difficulty trying to download an item from NetLibrary onto my Nook and it took a few online searches, digging through blog comments and message board posts before I finally found the solution. Libraries and information literacy instructors are beginning to see the changing tide in publishing and realizing that ebooks are here to stay. Teaching patrons how to read books on their computers and download them to eReaders will not only result in satisfied, knowledgeable patrons, it ensures that libraries have taken their patron's needs into account.
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