Okay I have a dumb question. If you’re “borrowing” a book from Libby and it’s an audiobook, what does that entail? I mean, why do you have to wait to listen to it? It’s not like it’s a physical book. I guess I don’t understand the logistics of it.
Same thing with “borrowing” an ebook to read on your phone. Why is there a wait if you’re not borrowing a physical book? Can someone explain this to me like I’m a toddler?
Thanks for not rolling your eyes at me!
by PenExactly
6 Comments
You have 14 days from receiving the borrowed book to finish listening to it before it goes back. As for waiting to listen it depends on your library system and how many licenses they have and if there is a wait list for the book. I have a book I have been waiting for a couple months and has an estimated availability of a couple months out.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/LibbyApp/comments/1h11uj1/comment/lz86ahc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/LibbyApp/comments/1h11uj1/comment/lz86ahc/)
Not dumb at all! The library has only a certain amount of licenses for each e-book or audiobook, just like a set amount of physical books at an in-person library. So while it’s your turn to read or listen, someone else will be on the wait list.
Librariesuafe only given (or buy) so many licenses for a book. Each license lets one person read/listen at a time. So, a license acts the same as a physical book, allowing it to only be used by one reader Ata time, the it has to be returned before the next person can check it out.
Libraries pay to get a certain number of license for each digital or audiobook, similar to how they pay for physical copies of books. (I don’t work in libraries but from what I’ve heard secondhand it’s actually pretty expensive and not a great deal for the libraries.) When you join a hold list you can see how many copies your library owns. So, yes, it is technically artificial scarcity, but if the publishers allowed them to give away unlimited digital copies there would be no reason for anyone to actually purchase the book.
You have to wait because the publisher wants you to get impatient and buy the audiobook instead. They only let libraries have a certain number of licenses and those licenses limit how many folks can check out a copy of the digital files at a time. It doesn’t matter that the digital goods are not subject to scarcity.