# Do you feel guilty about using a library? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [October 5, 2023, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144 "2023-10-05T14:02:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/41 "2023-10-05T20:42:21Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Everything I’ve ever heard from authors, whether in real life or in interviews, is that they are big supporters of libraries. Yeah, I don’t feel guilty at all. Sadly , since the Library is no longer within walking distance, as it was before our move (well technically it is, but it is a longish walk uphill) we dont go as much. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/42 "2023-10-05T20:46:04Z")
Libraries are a net gain for authors. That’s why so many of them donate copies to local libraries. The more eyes on a book, the more exposure the author has, the more word of mouth, the more copies sold, the more future books purchased. Plus, where do you think authors learned to write? Reading all those library books. I feel guilty that I _don’t_ use the library much. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/43 "2023-10-05T20:54:00Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > > [@bibliophage](#): > > > > You have to compare marginal benefits one extra book sale to the marginal benefit of one check. Would she rather have 20,001 sales (and all the royalties and other benefits that brings) or 20,000 sales plus a sandwich? > > The sandwich doesn’t move her book on to a top 10 list in her category on Amazon which can lead to 100s of sales, even if one cheque is 5x the royalties she would earn via her publisher. She would rather sell 20,100 books vs. 20,001 books+a sandwich. The big thing to remember is that if you buy a book you don’t have to worry about spilling sandwich gunk on the pages, whereas you should feel guilty gumming up a library book that way. Also, no eating sandwiches in the library. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/44 "2023-10-05T20:59:50Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I don’t feel guilty about using the library; libraries are probably the top purchasers of my books. Same here. Another tip for people who want to maximize the benefits to authors from their own library use: If there’s a book that you want to read coming out, submit a request to your library to acquire a copy. Yes, libraries typically purchase books based on publishers’ marketing and readership trends, but almost all of them also consider input from their members about requested books. Furthermore, if there’s a new book you want to read at your library with a readers’ waiting list, add your name to the list. If enough people are clamoring to borrow a particular book the library might buy an additional copy, which directly (though infinitesimally) benefits the author’s royalties and sales figures. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/45 "2023-10-05T21:07:08Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Congrats to your wife. That’s no easy feat. Thanks! It was a labour of love during Covid, she wrote it and shot the photos by herself. She has a full-time job now, so a second book is on the back burner (heh heh) until she sees what the US sales look like. She just finished reviewing the galleys for the 2nd printing up here as well as the 1st US printing. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/46 "2023-10-05T21:11:09Z")
I hope that you’ll let us know when it releases in the US ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/47 "2023-10-05T21:20:42Z")
Will do! ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/48 "2023-10-05T21:46:36Z")
What about checking out CDs from the library? Does anyone just listen to them a few times and then return them? I feel like it’s almost a tacit agreement that you’re going to take them home and record them. Thus, I suppose, beating the recording artist out of whatever they would have made had you purchased same CD. But if I check out the Hippybilly Hangdogs latest record, and find I want to buy the rest of their stuff, then I guess they would benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/49 "2023-10-05T21:49:54Z")
My wife writes two kinds of books. The first are medical-themed books for adults, the second is books for junior high school aged kids on a variety of topics. Both are big in libraries, not as big in regular sales. Th e kids books are perfect for homework assignments, and the adult ones are good for people looking up stuff. There is a website that lets you see which libraries have a given book, and she ego-searches all the time. She found that her last one, on Medical Firsts, got bought by the Library of the Executive Office Building in Washington. She’s not guilty about using the library at all. It’s not like many of the people checking out her books would have bought them. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/50 "2023-10-05T22:41:11Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Cannot wait for the Twain guy to put out something new. I’m holding my breath for The Odyssey - part ii ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/51 "2023-10-05T22:49:05Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Cannot wait for the Twain guy to put out something new. Could be out soon, apparently reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/52 "2023-10-05T23:00:41Z")
I used to feel guilty about borrowing books from libraries instead of buying them. But then I read multiple authors explaining that the exposure from libraries helps them sell more books, and me borrowing the book is part of that process. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/53 "2023-10-06T01:51:58Z")
I worked at a library during my misspent undergraduate youth. An author who didn’t make a great deal of money who frequented the library and became my friend was happy for people to check his books out, but was angry that they would buy copies on Ebay, where the authors received no money. Charles Portis sometimes frequented the library a few times. I complemented him on a book, and he asked, “Where did you buy it?” When I replied that I checked it out, he responded, “I guess you did, working here.” I do wish I had brought the copy of “True Grit” I bought with my paper route money to work and asked him to autograph it. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/54 "2023-10-06T02:29:17Z")
Something tells me that the kind of author who ends up in a library is already doing waaaaay better than 99.9999% of other authors, considering the number of authors who can’t even get published, let alone find their way into a curated library collection. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/55 "2023-10-06T02:32:09Z")
Yeah. If you really want to help out the author of a book you’re reading a (legally obtained) copy of, don’t waste time and energy agonizing over whether you should be buying a copy new or secondhand or borrowing it from a library or whatever. Use that time and energy instead to praise the book to other people who respect your opinion. I personally must have spent over a hundred dollars, easy, in the past year alone buying ebook versions (that’s my weakness: it’s so easy! right there on my phone!) of books recommended to me by friends and/or sequels to a previously recommended book that I got hooked on. You are worth much more to the author as a generator of purchases than as an individual purchaser. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/56 "2023-10-06T05:14:11Z")
I use the library a _lot_, and I not only end up recommending books to people, recommending books to the library, and adding my name to library waiting lists, but if I like one of an author’s books and the library doesn’t have their others (or I get tired of waiting), I’ll frequently buy it. I’d be much less likely to do that if I hadn’t borrowed one first. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/57 "2023-10-06T12:03:17Z")
Any authors that are against libraries buying their books? I presume they can not stop it from happening, but do _any_ authors argue against it? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/58 "2023-10-06T12:39:53Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Any authors that are against libraries buying their books? I sent my wife a link yesterday to her book on Overdrive at our local public library. They have 3 copies of the eBook and 5 holds on each copy. She was pretty pleased with that. She would like it if they bought more. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/59 "2023-10-06T12:55:01Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Any authors that are against libraries buying their books? I presume they can not stop it from happening, but do _any_ authors argue against it? Ayn Rand might have… > **[What Ayn Rand Was For](https://ari.aynrand.org/what-ayn-rand-was-for/)** > > For anyone who watched CNN’s report on Ayn Rand (during “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” on October 11), there was a puzzling moment that I’d like to clear up. > Public schools? Yes, she opposed them—along with **public libraries** , public hospitals, and public roads —but not because she wanted to leave people without the institutions they need to live and prosper. Rather, she held that individuals—working alone and in voluntary associations—are entitled to decide, without government coercion, how to meet their needs for education, health care, transportation, and all other economic values. Government, on her view, has no right to any opinion on how children should be taught, or **what books people read** , or what surgical procedures they should have, or where their roads should go. Government’s only job is to protect individuals as _they_ make those decisions. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144/60 "2023-10-06T13:13:27Z")
If libraries were invented today, they would almost certainly be illegal. Theft of intellectual property!! I think this casts more doubt on our copyright laws than on the validity of libraries, honestly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-guilty-about-using-a-library/991144.md?page=4)