Why do people buy books when they are free at libraries to borrow

The same reason why people buy dvds instead of renting them. People want to read/watch them whenever they like. And if they like the movie/book they can do it as many times as they like without wasting gas go to the library or blockbuster.

 

Music and movies too. I have a friend who relies exclusively on the Houston Library system for movie rentals.

As for books, my wife is a bibliophile. We could borrow a book, but it can only decorate our shelf for a couple of weeks like that.

 

try getting one of the current bestsellers at the library. i believe i'm 26th in line for stephen king's new one.

 

Err, except renting costs money, borrowing from a library doesn't (apparently... I don't know since I don't do it).

But it is mostly about re-reading it without having to make a trip back. Also about ownership. Also, libraries don't have every book available all the time.

 

The better question is why go to the library when there is the internet?

 

It's good. If you're liberal, you'll enjoy the fun poked at evangelical anti-Obama conservatives.

 

Have you ever tried reading a book on a computer? It sucks.

 

Some people like to make notes and markup their books. Often times books are not available at the library. Some people collect books. There are a number of reasons; I don't know why this would be difficult for someone to understand.

 

I actually read many books on the computer. you need a bigger monitor, i think.

 

I buy them for convenience. I don't want to have to return a book. I also buy them cheaply at half-priced books when I can. Also use Amazon, simply because they are cheap, will ship for free, and I don't have to hassle with going anywhere.

I also buy my books because I like to reread certain ones. It's like rewatching a movie that you have not seen in a long time...you forget some of it and it's still enjoyable the second time. Hell, I've read a few books four or five times.

I also happen to drink bottled water. Why? Because Houston's drinking water sucks. I prefer distilled water. It would be more economical to buy a filter, but for some reason I have not done that yet.

 

sweet.

 

Glen Beck says he learned why socialism is bad by reading books that are freely available from the library.

 

Same here. If it's a good enough story, I'll want to read it/hear it/watch it multiple times. I've never understood the people who read or watch something once and then never want to see it or read it again. I've bought several books the last two years that I haven't touched due to nursing school....I've got a lot of catching up to do.

Some other reasons:
I'm pretty fairly well-read, and I like for people to be able to see that should they come to my place, just as I like to look at a person's book collection when I go to their place. You can tell a lot about a person by what they have and what they've read as it points to innate intellectual curiosity.

There's virtually no faster way for me to lose interest in a woman than for her to tell me she doesn't like to read but will spend hours watching reality-TV tripe.

 

I buy books mainly because I like owning them. Also, I don't believe authors are compensated for checking out books at the library.

 

Actually, it's not free. You paid for those books, as did everyone else.

 

libraries never have the books i want.

plus, i'm really bad at remembering to return them on time.

 

Libraries are tax funded right?

 

I'm a germaphobe so I don't like reading library books. You don't know what nasty places people have left their books. The subway, the bus, the restroom, the floor.