Publishers shouldn't see library lending as draining sales, but actually helping spur them on, Dunneback argued. Libraries give patrons the chance to try new books at little risk. "If they have success at a low investment, they might invest at a higher investment," Dunneback said. She also notes that a library can lend out only the number of copies of an electronic book that it has purchased, so there will still be waiting lines for popular titles. The most impatient patrons may give up waiting and buy their copies instead.

At least one publisher, Random House, seems to be embracing the idea of e-lending. Libraries "create readers. They create buzz for our books," said Ruth Liebmann, vice president and director of account marketing at Random House.

"Our goal is to have books available in libraries in the same time and in the same formats as they are available in retail," Liebmann said. "We don't see a library as competing with a sale. We see the library book as a sale."

The IDG News Service