Public Library Digital Lending

My public library lets me borrow ebooks and audiobooks through an app, for free, using just my library card. This exists and most of my friends don't know about it is one of the biggest failures of public awareness I can think of. Catalog is larger than I expected, most bestsellers show up within a few weeks of release. Books are automatically returned after 21 days so there are no late fees and no trips to a physical building required. I can have 10 books checked out at once and read them on any device. Wait times for popular titles are the only real friction, sometimes 4 to 8 weeks for a new release. But the system works, and it works well enough that I canceled my Kindle Unlimited subscription and save $12 a month. The library card is also free to anyone in the county, and this is a service that already exists for millions of people who just don't realize it. A public institution adapting to digital without losing the original promise — that anyone can access information, regardless of income — is something that takes genuine commitment to pull off.